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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. game — a match
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. fork — in a road
  7. object — to protest
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. object — a thing
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. file — a document
  16. game — wild animals
  17. deal — to handle
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. file — a tool
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. spring — of water
  24. file — a line of people

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