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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pass — a permit
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pop — music
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. file — a tool
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. pop — soda
  13. file — a line of people
  14. rule — government
  15. mate — a friend
  16. rule — a law
  17. cold — not warm
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pop — to visit
  22. file — a document
  23. bass — low music
  24. pass — to spend time

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