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: chest · current · pit · file · track · rest · drill · branch

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. drill — the tool
  3. rest — a break
  4. file — a tool
  5. current — of water
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. chest — of your body
  8. track — a song
  9. file — a document
  10. branch — a division
  11. drill — army training
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rest — what's left
  14. track — a path
  15. rest — what's left
  16. current — happening now
  17. chest — a box
  18. pit — a hole
  19. drill — a practice
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — in a race
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. current — electric
  24. track — to keep track

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