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 116 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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. charge — in control
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. chip — to eat
  8. game — wild animals
  9. file — a document
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. game — a match
  13. march — music
  14. bore — to drill
  15. plane — a tool
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. march — the month
  20. bore — to tire
  21. march — the month
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a line of people

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