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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. court — for sport
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. current — happening now
  7. clip — a video
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bear — the animal
  10. clip — for paper
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. field — for sport
  14. current — of water
  15. bear — the animal
  16. clip — to cut
  17. court — of law
  18. field — a subject
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. field — farmland
  21. court — of a king
  22. current — electric
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. dip — to sink

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