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: charge · object · chip · hand · chest · saw · ground · present

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. charge — in control
  2. present — a gift
  3. object — to protest
  4. ground — the earth
  5. present — there
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. ground — crushed
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. chip — for betting
  12. present — the time now
  13. object — a thing
  14. hand — help
  15. saw — the tool
  16. hand — in cards
  17. object — an aim
  18. charge — electricity
  19. ground — a position
  20. charge — a price
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chest — of your body
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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