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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rest — a break
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a tool
  5. cap — a hat
  6. shower — rain
  7. clip — to cut
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. present — there
  12. clip — a video
  13. cap — a lid
  14. rest — what's left
  15. present — the time now
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cap — of ice
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. file — a document
  21. rest — what's left
  22. present — a gift
  23. clip — for paper
  24. shower — to wash

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