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: cell · cold · game · file · coach · trunk · stick · charge

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  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. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. charge — in control
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. charge — a price
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cell — in biology
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a document
  19. charge — electricity
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cell — a phone
  23. file — a tool
  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