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 116 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: bowl · chip · march · patient · chair · wave · hand · bark

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. march — the month
  7. hand — help
  8. march — music
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bark — to shout
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. march — the month
  24. patient — a sick person

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