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 · game · racket · date · ground · can · rush · rule

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — the earth
  7. file — a document
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rush — hurry
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. file — a tool
  19. rule — government
  20. file — a line of people
  21. can — to be able to
  22. date — the fruit
  23. rule — a law
  24. ground — a position

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