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 116 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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. shower — to wash
  6. file — a line of people
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. shower — rain
  18. wind — moving air
  19. file — a tool
  20. deal — to handle
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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