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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — electricity
  3. mine — for digging
  4. shower — rain
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. shower — to wash
  10. plane — a tool
  11. charge — in control
  12. saw — the tool
  13. hand — in cards
  14. can — a tin
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. hand — help
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. can — to be able to
  21. file — a line of people
  22. saw — the tool
  23. can — a tin
  24. hand — part of the body

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