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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. key — for a lock
  4. roll — a cake
  5. staff — employees
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cold — an illness
  10. key — in music
  11. file — a line of people
  12. date — the fruit
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. file — a tool
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. lean — to bend
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cold — not warm
  19. key — the most important part
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. staff — employees
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. lean — thin
  24. roll — a list

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