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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · charge · file · nail · staff · prune · rash · march

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. charge — electricity
  3. march — music
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. rash — hasty
  6. file — a document
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. staff — a stick
  9. march — the month
  10. charge — in control
  11. rash — a series
  12. file — a tool
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. charge — a price
  15. march — the month
  16. cold — not warm
  17. staff — employees
  18. prune — to trim
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. staff — employees
  21. cold — an illness
  22. file — a line of people
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cold — the Cold War

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