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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rash — hasty
  3. face — to confront
  4. file — a document
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. mug — a cup
  9. roll — a cake
  10. fork — in a road
  11. shower — to wash
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. file — a tool
  14. face — part of the head
  15. rash — a series
  16. spell — magic
  17. shower — rain
  18. mug — a face
  19. file — a line of people
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. mug — to rob
  23. face — to point toward
  24. rash — on the skin

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