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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. file — a line of people
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. cap — of ice
  5. pass — a permit
  6. cap — a hat
  7. file — a tool
  8. present — a gift
  9. shower — rain
  10. kid — child
  11. chip — to eat
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. cap — a lid
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. present — the time now
  21. file — a document
  22. chip — for betting
  23. present — there
  24. pass — to spend time

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