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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. present — the time now
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. dip — to sink
  5. file — a tool
  6. field — farmland
  7. present — a gift
  8. clip — to cut
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. present — there
  12. hand — in cards
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. hand — help
  15. clip — for paper
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. file — a document
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. field — for sport
  23. clip — a video
  24. field — a subject

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