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: track · staff · march · file · mouse · stem · hand · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. staff — employees
  3. march — music
  4. stem — to come from
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. march — the month
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. hand — in cards
  9. file — a document
  10. track — a path
  11. staff — employees
  12. cold — an illness
  13. file — a tool
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. staff — a stick
  18. file — a line of people
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. cold — not warm
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. hand — help
  24. march — the month

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