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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. file — a document
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. file — a tool
  5. cold — not warm
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. spell — magic
  8. hand — in cards
  9. net — for catching
  10. hand — help
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. file — a line of people
  13. spell — letters
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. cold — an illness
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pitch — completely
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. mouse — the animal

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