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 120 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: chip · file · fine · shower · trunk · pitcher · degree · wind

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wind — moving air
  3. file — a document
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fine — all right
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wind — moving air
  8. degree — an amount
  9. chip — for betting
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. file — a line of people
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. degree — temperature
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. chip — to eat
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. degree — from a university
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. file — a tool
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. fine — high quality

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