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: swing · wave · file · chip · mine · pit · bat · stick

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. chip — to eat
  4. file — a tool
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. file — a document
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. file — a line of people
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bat — the animal
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. chip — for betting
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. swing — in golf
  19. pit — a hole
  20. swing — music
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. chip — in a computer

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