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: ground · spring · lean · chip · kid · bark · jam · cap

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. ground — a position
  4. lean — thin
  5. bark — to shout
  6. cap — a hat
  7. kid — to tease
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. spring — a coil
  10. ground — the earth
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. spring — of water
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — to bend
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. cap — a lid
  19. chip — for betting
  20. kid — child
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. ground — crushed
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. spring — the season

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