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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. ground — the earth
  5. file — a document
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. deal — to handle
  10. file — a line of people
  11. rule — a law
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. row — to paddle
  14. lean — to bend
  15. file — a tool
  16. rash — a series
  17. ground — a position
  18. row — a line
  19. rule — government
  20. lean — thin
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. rash — hasty

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