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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bark — to shout
  5. tube — the underground
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. fork — in a road
  9. file — a document
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. rash — hasty
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rule — a law
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. rule — government
  22. tube — a container
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rash — a series

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