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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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. file — a line of people
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. rest — what's left
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. clip — to cut
  7. vault — a safe
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. clip — a video
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. game — a match
  13. foot — a measure
  14. branch — a division
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. clip — for paper
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. rest — a break
  20. file — a tool
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rest — what's left
  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