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: charge · mine · drill · last · jam · wave · lie · game

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — electricity
  3. lie — to recline
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. charge — in control
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. game — a match
  18. drill — army training
  19. last — finally
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. mine — for digging

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