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

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. file — a document
  4. mate — to breed
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bore — to tire
  8. content — happy
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bore — to drill
  11. plane — a tool
  12. content — the amount
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. mate — a friend
  16. snap — to click
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stem — to come from
  22. file — a line of people
  23. chest — a box
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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