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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. firm — decided
  5. clip — to cut
  6. firm — steady
  7. rest — what's left
  8. file — a line of people
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. firm — a company
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. court — of a king
  14. rest — a break
  15. file — a document
  16. rest — what's left
  17. snap — to click
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. court — for sport
  20. clip — a video
  21. drill — army training
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. clip — for paper
  24. court — of law

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