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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. row — to paddle
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bound — certain
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. file — a tool
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. file — a document
  13. row — a line
  14. drill — army training
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bound — obliged
  18. wake — a trail
  19. drill — a practice
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bound — tied together
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — of a tree

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