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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. tear — to rip
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. kid — child
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. cell — a phone
  10. deal — to handle
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pound — a weight
  13. wake — a trail
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. file — a tool
  17. cell — in biology
  18. tear — from crying
  19. kid — to tease
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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