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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. net — after costs
  6. rest — what's left
  7. file — a line of people
  8. prune — to trim
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. prune — to trim
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rest — what's left
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. net — for catching
  15. face — to confront
  16. rest — a break
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. net — in sport
  20. file — a document
  21. vault — a safe
  22. face — to point toward
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. file — a tool

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