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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rush — hurry
  3. charge — in control
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. mine — for digging
  6. drill — the tool
  7. file — a tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. pound — a weight
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — a hat
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. file — a document
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. charge — a price
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. charge — electricity
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. file — a line of people
  24. rush — to hurry

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