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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. last — final
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. object — a thing
  7. rash — a series
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. object — to protest
  13. object — an aim
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. rash — hasty
  16. last — to go on
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. file — a document
  20. spell — magic
  21. last — finally
  22. tube — a container
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — to sink

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