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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. rule — a law
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rule — government
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bulb — for light
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. file — a tool
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cold — an illness
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. track — a path
  20. track — a song
  21. file — a document
  22. chair — a leader
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. track — to keep track

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