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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. chest — of your body
  3. file — a tool
  4. chest — a box
  5. land — a country
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. file — a line of people
  10. saw — the tool
  11. file — a document
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rest — what's left
  14. land — ground
  15. club — for dancing
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. club — for golf
  20. rest — a break
  21. rash — a series
  22. land — to come down
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. rest — what's left

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