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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. file — a line of people
  4. march — the month
  5. pit — in a race
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. march — music
  9. pit — a hole
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. saw — the tool
  13. file — a document
  14. march — the month
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. saw — the tool
  17. chip — for betting
  18. game — a match
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rock — music
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rock — a stone
  24. game — wild animals

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