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 120 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: rest · trunk · chip · cabinet · swing · wound · file · cold

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. trunk — of a car
  2. wound — an injury
  3. file — a line of people
  4. cold — not warm
  5. swing — music
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cold — an illness
  12. file — a document
  13. swing — in golf
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. rest — a break
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. swing — to play on
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chip — to eat
  22. file — a tool
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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