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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pop — to visit
  4. wake — a trail
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. file — a document
  7. pop — soda
  8. clip — for paper
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. file — a tool
  12. cap — of ice
  13. chest — a box
  14. clip — a video
  15. cap — a lid
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. chest — of your body
  22. file — a line of people
  23. clip — to cut
  24. cap — a hat

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