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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. charge — electricity
  6. cold — an illness
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — for betting
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. charge — a price
  11. sharp — clever
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. shower — rain
  18. stock — goods
  19. file — a tool
  20. shower — to wash
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. cold — not warm
  24. charge — in control

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