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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. kid — to tease
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. file — a tool
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. plane — a tool
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. prune — to trim
  18. file — a document
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. file — a line of people
  22. kid — child
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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