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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. mug — to rob
  3. hand — in cards
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rest — a break
  7. charge — electricity
  8. mug — a cup
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. file — a tool
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. file — a line of people
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mug — a face
  18. rest — what's left
  19. charge — in control
  20. file — a document
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. hand — help
  24. rest — what's left

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