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 120 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 who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. cap — a hat
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. file — a document
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. saw — the tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a tool
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. fork — in a road
  18. rush — hurry
  19. hand — help
  20. fall — to drop
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rush — a thrill

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