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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. cap — a hat
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pit — a hole
  5. sharp — clever
  6. fall — the season
  7. ground — crushed
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. current — of water
  11. file — a tool
  12. pit — in a race
  13. fall — to drop
  14. current — electric
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ground — the earth
  17. spring — the season
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. cap — a lid
  20. ground — a position
  21. cap — of ice
  22. current — happening now
  23. file — a document
  24. spring — of water

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