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 · game · shower · firm · chest · board · prune · wind

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. firm — a company
  4. prune — to trim
  5. board — to get on
  6. chest — of your body
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. shower — rain
  12. firm — steady
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. chest — a box
  15. firm — decided
  16. prune — to trim
  17. board — a committee
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — to eat
  21. shower — to wash
  22. chest — of your body
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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