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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. last — final
  8. file — a tool
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. last — finally
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. wound — an injury
  14. last — to go on
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. file — a line of people
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wound — an injury
  24. file — a document

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