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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. rule — a law
  5. bank — for money
  6. last — to go on
  7. rule — government
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. bank — for money
  10. file — a tool
  11. bank — of a river
  12. present — there
  13. fork — in a road
  14. last — final
  15. cell — a phone
  16. last — finally
  17. present — a gift
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a document
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — in biology
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. present — the time now

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