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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. row — to paddle
  3. pound — a weight
  4. present — the time now
  5. file — a document
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — to confront
  8. file — a line of people
  9. stock — goods
  10. face — part of the head
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. stock — shares
  15. saw — the tool
  16. file — a tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. row — a line
  19. saw — the tool
  20. present — a gift
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. present — there
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. pitcher — a jug

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