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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fine — high quality
  3. file — a document
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. fine — all right
  6. spell — letters
  7. wake — a trail
  8. spell — magic
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in biology
  11. foot — a measure
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. lie — to recline
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. file — a tool
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. spell — a short time
  23. file — a line of people
  24. lie — an untruth

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