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: file · ball · sharp · hide · mine · kid · pop · cap

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. pop — music
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pop — soda
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a dance
  10. sharp — clever
  11. file — a line of people
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. cap — a lid
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. kid — child
  17. cap — a hat
  18. kid — to tease
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. cap — of ice
  21. file — a tool
  22. pop — to visit
  23. mine — for digging
  24. hide — to keep secret

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