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: land · stick · chip · race · key · swing · spell · straw

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. spell — magic
  3. race — the arms race
  4. spell — a short time
  5. land — a country
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. spell — letters
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. key — the most important part
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. key — for a lock
  14. chip — for betting
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — music
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. key — in music
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — a contest
  24. chip — to eat

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