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: firm · pitch · file · cold · mug · band · bear · charge

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. cold — an illness
  3. file — a document
  4. mug — a face
  5. file — a tool
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. mug — to rob
  8. band — a music group
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pitch — completely
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. charge — in control
  15. firm — a company
  16. charge — electricity
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. charge — a price
  19. band — a ring
  20. cold — not warm
  21. mug — a cup
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bear — the animal
  24. firm — decided

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