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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. kick — in football
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. march — music
  6. game — a match
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. file — a tool
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. cold — not warm
  14. staff — employees
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. march — the month
  17. cold — an illness
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. file — a line of people
  20. toast — bread
  21. march — the month
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. game — wild animals
  24. staff — employees

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