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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. file — a tool
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. shower — rain
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bank — for money
  9. file — a document
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. game — a match
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. scale — in music
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bank — for money
  21. bark — to shout
  22. rash — a series
  23. scale — size or range
  24. game — wild animals

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