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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. wound — an injury
  3. game — a match
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pit — a hole
  6. shower — to wash
  7. cell — a phone
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. charge — in control
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. tube — the underground
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. shower — rain
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. charge — a price
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. charge — electricity
  21. tube — a container
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — in a race

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