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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. file — a document
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. land — a country
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. file — a line of people
  14. land — to come down
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. file — a tool
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. land — ground
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pitch — completely

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