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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — a cup
  3. object — to protest
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. object — an aim
  8. charge — electricity
  9. row — a line
  10. band — a music group
  11. mug — to rob
  12. band — a ring
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. charge — in control
  18. spring — a coil
  19. charge — a price
  20. row — to paddle
  21. object — a thing
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. file — a document
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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