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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. file — a document
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. track — to keep track
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. prune — to trim
  11. track — a song
  12. last — final
  13. rush — hurry
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. last — to go on
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. file — a tool
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. file — a line of people
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. track — a path
  22. foot — a measure
  23. last — finally
  24. arm — part of the body

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