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: mine · capital · chip · dip · court · march · ground · cell

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. ground — the earth
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. march — music
  5. court — of law
  6. march — the month
  7. court — for sport
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. ground — a position
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — a city
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. court — of a king
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cell — in biology
  19. capital — money
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. dip — to sink
  22. cell — a phone
  23. march — the month
  24. ground — crushed

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