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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. last — final
  3. file — a tool
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. file — a document
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. last — finally
  8. shower — rain
  9. rest — what's left
  10. file — a line of people
  11. last — to go on
  12. field — for sport
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. field — farmland
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. rest — what's left
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a music group
  21. shower — to wash
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. field — a subject

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