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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. cold — not warm
  3. mine — for digging
  4. file — a line of people
  5. charge — electricity
  6. cold — an illness
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — in control
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. ground — a position
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — to visit
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. file — a tool
  23. pop — music
  24. ground — crushed

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