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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. spell — a short time
  3. file — a line of people
  4. lean — to bend
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. race — humankind
  7. file — a tool
  8. lean — thin
  9. mine — for digging
  10. race — a contest
  11. spell — letters
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. march — the month
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. race — the arms race
  22. spell — magic
  23. mark — a grade
  24. cabinet — ministers

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