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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. chip — for betting
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. pit — in a race
  5. file — a line of people
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — to cut
  8. file — a document
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. current — of water
  11. current — electric
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bass — the fish
  14. spring — of water
  15. current — happening now
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. chip — to eat
  20. spring — the season
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. clip — a video
  23. pit — a hole
  24. bass — low music

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