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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. present — a gift
  4. fork — in a road
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fall — the season
  10. toast — bread
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. fall — to drop
  17. file — a line of people
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. spring — of water
  20. file — a document
  21. present — there
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. file — a tool
  24. present — the time now

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