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: cap · charge · capital · current · prune · file · wound · game

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. game — wild animals
  3. current — happening now
  4. charge — electricity
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. file — a tool
  8. current — of water
  9. capital — a city
  10. game — a match
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cap — of ice
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cap — a hat
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cap — a lid
  20. charge — a price
  21. file — a document
  22. capital — money
  23. charge — in control
  24. current — electric

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