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 116 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. chip — to eat
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bank — for money
  9. chip — for betting
  10. track — a song
  11. season — of the year
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cold — an illness
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bank — of a river
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. file — a tool
  19. cold — not warm
  20. track — a path
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. season — in sport
  23. file — a document
  24. bank — for money

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