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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — in biology
  4. file — a tool
  5. scale — size or range
  6. root — of a word
  7. snap — to click
  8. rest — what's left
  9. file — a document
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cell — a phone
  17. scale — in music
  18. rest — a break
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rest — what's left
  22. file — a line of people
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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