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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. file — a tool
  3. charge — in control
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — a lid
  6. capital — money
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — a price
  10. season — in sport
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. capital — a city
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. cap — of ice
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. file — a document
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. file — a line of people
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. season — of the year
  24. nail — for a hammer

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