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 116 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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. present — there
  3. net — for catching
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. file — a document
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. file — a tool
  9. cap — of ice
  10. track — a song
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — a gift
  13. track — a path
  14. net — after costs
  15. track — to keep track
  16. squash — to crush
  17. cap — a hat
  18. file — a line of people
  19. last — finally
  20. net — in sport
  21. cap — a lid
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. kid — to tease
  24. squash — the sport

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