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: shower · last · date · coach · ground · pit · file · bound

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. file — a document
  3. bound — obliged
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. ground — a position
  8. shower — rain
  9. pit — a hole
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. ground — crushed
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bound — tied together
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. ground — the earth
  20. file — a tool
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. last — finally
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bound — certain

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