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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. present — there
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. last — finally
  8. fork — in a road
  9. present — a gift
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. present — the time now
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to click

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