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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. file — a tool
  5. object — to protest
  6. file — a line of people
  7. band — a ring
  8. row — to paddle
  9. object — a thing
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — a weight
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. file — a document
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — not warm
  21. object — an aim
  22. row — a line
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. row — a quarrel

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