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 · row · safe · bowl · wind · bank · cold · bat

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bat — the animal
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. chip — to eat
  10. row — to paddle
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — of a river
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. cold — an illness
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bank — for money
  21. wind — moving air
  22. row — a line
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cold — the Cold War

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