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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bound — tied together
  5. drill — army training
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a line of people
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bat — the animal
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. staff — employees
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. staff — employees
  14. file — a tool
  15. bound — certain
  16. drill — a practice
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bound — obliged
  21. staff — a stick
  22. cell — in biology
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bat — in an idiom

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