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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. pit — a hole
  4. ground — a position
  5. last — finally
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pit — in a race
  13. last — to go on
  14. mark — a trace
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bulb — for light
  17. last — final
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — the animal
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. ground — the earth
  23. file — a document
  24. mark — a grade

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