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 116 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. land — ground
  3. track — to keep track
  4. current — electric
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. current — of water
  8. ground — a position
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. land — a country
  15. ground — crushed
  16. stock — goods
  17. file — a line of people
  18. land — to come down
  19. bark — to shout
  20. stock — shares
  21. file — a tool
  22. current — happening now
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. ground — the earth

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