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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. scale — size or range
  3. current — of water
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. file — a line of people
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. cell — in biology
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rash — a series
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chest — of your body
  13. current — happening now
  14. file — a document
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. cell — a phone
  18. file — a tool
  19. rash — hasty
  20. chest — a box
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — in music
  24. current — electric

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