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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. file — a document
  3. stand — to bear
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. shower — to wash
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. shower — rain
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mark — a trace
  13. chest — of your body
  14. ground — a position
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. mark — a grade
  17. file — a line of people
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. ground — the earth
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. file — a tool
  24. chest — a box

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