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: key · chip · ruler · rule · present · trunk · kid · cold

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. key — the most important part
  3. kid — child
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. cold — an illness
  6. rule — a law
  7. chip — for betting
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. key — for a lock
  10. present — the time now
  11. chip — to eat
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. key — in music
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cold — not warm
  16. kid — to tease
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. rule — government
  22. present — there
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. chip — in a computer

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