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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. spell — magic
  3. land — ground
  4. key — in music
  5. rest — what's left
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rest — a break
  11. spell — letters
  12. land — a country
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. kid — child
  17. bank — for money
  18. kid — to tease
  19. file — a document
  20. rest — what's left
  21. key — the most important part
  22. land — to come down
  23. key — for a lock
  24. dip — to dunk

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