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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. march — the month
  3. rush — hurry
  4. file — a document
  5. march — the month
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. game — a match
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. file — a line of people
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. game — wild animals
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pit — a hole
  22. march — music
  23. file — a tool
  24. ruler — a monarch

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