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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. land — to come down
  3. face — part of the head
  4. file — a tool
  5. tube — the underground
  6. land — ground
  7. ground — crushed
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. file — a document
  10. tube — a container
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — to confront
  13. capital — money
  14. ground — a position
  15. charge — a price
  16. wake — a trail
  17. charge — in control
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. land — a country
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. capital — a city
  22. charge — electricity
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. ground — the earth

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