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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rash — hasty
  4. root — of a word
  5. last — to go on
  6. file — a tool
  7. last — final
  8. snap — to click
  9. file — a line of people
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — the cause
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rush — hurry
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. rash — a series
  16. ball — a dance
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. last — finally
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. file — a document
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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