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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. file — a tool
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. last — final
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wax — to grow
  9. vault — a safe
  10. file — a document
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rest — a break
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. last — to go on
  19. fork — in a road
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. rest — what's left
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fall — to drop

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