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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — music
  8. fine — high quality
  9. row — a line
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. race — humankind
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. file — a tool
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. race — the arms race
  16. swing — in golf
  17. race — a contest
  18. bark — to shout
  19. row — to paddle
  20. rest — what's left
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. row — a quarrel

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