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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. file — a tool
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. chest — of your body
  5. net — for catching
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pass — a permit
  9. file — a document
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. swing — music
  13. scale — in music
  14. net — after costs
  15. mark — a trace
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. net — in sport
  21. swing — in golf
  22. scale — size or range
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mark — to pay attention

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