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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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. kick — with a leg
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. staff — employees
  7. last — to go on
  8. kick — in football
  9. staff — employees
  10. last — final
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. file — a document
  13. cell — in biology
  14. staff — a stick
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. file — a line of people
  17. current — electric
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — in a road
  20. current — happening now
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. last — finally
  23. current — of water
  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