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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. spell — magic
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. file — a tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. file — a document
  8. prune — to trim
  9. file — a line of people
  10. squash — the sport
  11. cell — in biology
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. fork — in a road
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spell — letters
  18. plane — a tool
  19. squash — to crush
  20. spell — a short time
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. rash — a series
  24. cell — a phone

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