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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. last — to go on
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. last — final
  9. lean — thin
  10. charge — electricity
  11. mine — for digging
  12. sharp — clever
  13. file — a tool
  14. charge — in control
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. file — a document
  23. last — finally
  24. lean — to bend

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