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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. file — a tool
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. charge — electricity
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. charge — a price
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. tube — a container
  13. charge — in control
  14. file — a document
  15. tube — the underground
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. file — a line of people
  22. kick — in football
  23. foot — a measure
  24. land — a country

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