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: chip · face · roll · fine · lash · game · cold · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. fine — all right
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. cue — for pool
  7. roll — a cake
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — an illness
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. face — to confront
  15. fine — high quality
  16. chip — to eat
  17. roll — a list
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. chip — for betting
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cue — a signal
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. face — part of the head

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