ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · club · spring · wave · spell · land · chip · cue

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. cue — a hint
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. land — ground
  5. cue — for pool
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. spell — letters
  8. degree — an amount
  9. spring — of water
  10. chip — for betting
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. spell — magic
  13. land — to come down
  14. spring — the season
  15. chip — to eat
  16. degree — from a university
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — for golf
  19. land — a country
  20. spring — a coil
  21. degree — temperature
  22. cue — a signal
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com