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 120 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. file — a document
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. present — there
  5. file — a tool
  6. pop — soda
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. pop — to visit
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. mark — a trace
  12. hand — help
  13. pop — music
  14. mark — a grade
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. file — a line of people
  17. present — a gift
  18. cell — in biology
  19. present — the time now
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. wind — moving air
  24. hand — in cards

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