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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I seem to be developing 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. charge — a price
  2. cold — not warm
  3. pit — in a race
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. current — electric
  9. charge — electricity
  10. current — of water
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bark — to shout
  17. mine — for digging
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rash — a series
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. current — happening now
  23. rash — on the skin
  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