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 · ground · spring · coach · kid · deal · face · scale

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — a position
  3. chip — to eat
  4. spring — a coil
  5. chip — for betting
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. deal — to handle
  8. face — to confront
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. face — part of the head
  11. kid — to tease
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. face — to point toward
  14. kid — child
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. scale — size or range
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. ground — the earth
  19. spring — of water
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. spring — the season
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — for weighing

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