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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. court — for sport
  4. rest — a break
  5. charge — electricity
  6. mate — a partner
  7. file — a tool
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mine — for digging
  10. charge — a price
  11. content — happy
  12. row — a line
  13. content — the amount
  14. mate — a friend
  15. charge — in control
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rest — what's left
  21. court — of law
  22. court — of a king
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a document

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