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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. file — a tool
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. file — a document
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. shower — rain
  8. bass — the fish
  9. net — in sport
  10. shower — to wash
  11. land — to come down
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. root — of a plant
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. net — after costs
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bass — low music
  19. file — a line of people
  20. root — of a word
  21. net — for catching
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. root — the cause

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