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: lean · cap · tube · chest · clip · plane · chip · squash

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chest — of your body
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. cap — a lid
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. plane — a tool
  10. cap — of ice
  11. lean — to bend
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. cap — a hat
  14. chest — a box
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. clip — to cut
  18. chest — of your body
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — for paper
  21. lean — thin
  22. tube — the underground
  23. chip — to eat
  24. tube — a container

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