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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. file — a tool
  3. club — for golf
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — a list
  6. rock — music
  7. present — a gift
  8. saw — the tool
  9. club — a group
  10. present — there
  11. club — for dancing
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. file — a line of people
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. saw — the tool
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. file — a document
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. rock — a stone
  23. present — the time now
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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