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: cap · cue · land · roll · spring · chip · band · swing

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cap — of ice
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. cue — for pool
  6. spring — of water
  7. land — to come down
  8. cue — a hint
  9. roll — a cake
  10. swing — music
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. spring — the season
  13. swing — in golf
  14. band — a ring
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. cap — a hat
  17. swing — to play on
  18. spring — a coil
  19. chip — to eat
  20. land — ground
  21. chip — for betting
  22. band — a music group
  23. land — a country
  24. roll — a list

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