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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. snap — to click
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. file — a line of people
  5. spell — letters
  6. file — a document
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bank — for money
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bank — for money
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. spell — magic
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. net — in sport
  21. file — a tool
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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