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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. file — a document
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. field — farmland
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. saw — the tool
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. field — for sport
  13. spell — magic
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. saw — the tool
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mine — for digging
  22. field — a subject
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. file — a tool

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