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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. file — a tool
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. roll — a list
  13. tube — the underground
  14. file — a line of people
  15. stem — to come from
  16. file — a document
  17. bass — the fish
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bass — low music
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. tube — a container
  24. stem — a stem cell

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