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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bear — the animal
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bound — obliged
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bound — certain
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. file — a document
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. leaves — lets stay

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