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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bass — low music
  3. file — a line of people
  4. fork — in a road
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. spell — magic
  8. chip — to eat
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. land — a country
  11. bass — the fish
  12. land — ground
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. file — a tool
  16. band — a music group
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. chip — for betting
  23. band — a ring
  24. file — a document

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