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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a tool
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wind — moving air
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. fall — to drop
  12. key — for a lock
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. fall — the season
  17. file — a document
  18. dip — to sink
  19. pitch — completely
  20. face — to confront
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. fall — to drop
  23. key — in music
  24. key — the most important part

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