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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a document
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fall — the season
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bat — the animal
  7. hand — help
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. hand — in cards
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. chip — to eat
  13. file — a line of people
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. chip — for betting
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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