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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. net — in sport
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. land — to come down
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — the earth
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. ground — a position
  11. file — a document
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. squash — the sport
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. file — a line of people
  18. land — ground
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. land — a country
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. squash — to crush
  24. temple — side of the head

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