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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rash — hasty
  3. net — for catching
  4. file — a tool
  5. net — after costs
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a grade
  8. net — in sport
  9. hand — help
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mark — a trace
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. kid — to tease
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rash — a series
  17. stem — to come from
  18. file — a document
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. hand — in cards
  23. kid — child
  24. file — a line of people

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