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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. date — the fruit
  8. firm — a company
  9. firm — steady
  10. spring — the season
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a tool
  15. firm — decided
  16. file — a document
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bore — to drill
  20. spring — of water
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. roll — a cake
  24. mine — for digging

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