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 120 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: bat · land · pass · wind · spring · chip · ball · lash

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. chip — to eat
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. land — ground
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. land — to come down
  9. spring — of water
  10. land — a country
  11. wind — moving air
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. spring — the season
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. wind — moving air
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bat — the animal
  21. ball — a great time
  22. chip — for betting
  23. ball — a dance
  24. pass — a permit

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