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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — a series
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. file — a line of people
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. date — the fruit
  9. file — a tool
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. plane — a tool
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. file — a document
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. snap — to click
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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