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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a line of people
  3. spell — a short time
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rest — what's left
  6. key — for a lock
  7. spell — magic
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. root — of a word
  10. spell — letters
  11. root — the cause
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. rest — what's left
  14. key — the most important part
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. game — wild animals
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. file — a tool
  20. rest — a break
  21. game — a match
  22. root — of a plant
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. key — in music

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