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 120 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. charge — electricity
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bass — low music
  8. charge — a price
  9. drill — the tool
  10. wound — an injury
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — a division
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. pit — a hole
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. prune — to trim
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. file — a tool
  24. charge — in control

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