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 120 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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. file — a document
  5. staff — employees
  6. file — a line of people
  7. degree — an amount
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. staff — a stick
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. last — to go on
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. staff — employees
  19. tube — the underground
  20. craft — a skill
  21. degree — from a university
  22. craft — boats
  23. file — a tool
  24. tube — in a tire

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