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: cold · charge · race · pit · fan · swing · jam · rest

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. charge — in control
  3. cold — an illness
  4. rest — what's left
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. rest — a break
  7. cold — not warm
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. charge — electricity
  11. swing — music
  12. race — a contest
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. charge — a price
  15. pit — a hole
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. swing — in golf
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. race — humankind
  21. rest — what's left
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. race — the arms race
  24. pit — in a race

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