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: degree · fall · date · content · chip · kid · coach · pop

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pop — soda
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. chip — for betting
  6. date — the fruit
  7. degree — from a university
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. kid — to tease
  10. chip — to eat
  11. pop — to visit
  12. fall — the season
  13. content — the amount
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. content — happy
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pop — music
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. fall — to drop
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — temperature
  23. kid — child
  24. content — videos and posts

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