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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  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. mate — a partner
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. current — electric
  5. mine — for digging
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. last — final
  9. mate — a friend
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. current — of water
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — finally
  17. current — happening now
  18. kid — child
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. board — to get on
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mate — to breed
  23. board — a committee
  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