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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. spring — a coil
  4. charge — a price
  5. bass — low music
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pit — in a race
  9. track — a path
  10. track — a song
  11. file — a tool
  12. charge — electricity
  13. spring — the season
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. file — a line of people
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bass — the fish
  18. spring — of water
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. pit — a hole
  22. file — a document
  23. mine — for digging
  24. scale — in music

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