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: cue · chip · pound · bear · shower · swing · clip · mouse

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. swing — in golf
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. chip — for betting
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. chip — to eat
  9. swing — to play on
  10. pound — a weight
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. cue — a signal
  16. clip — to cut
  17. shower — rain
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bear — the animal
  20. swing — music
  21. cue — for pool
  22. clip — a video
  23. bear — the animal
  24. clip — for paper

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