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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a document
  3. roll — a list
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bore — to tire
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. spell — magic
  8. hand — help
  9. degree — temperature
  10. roll — a cake
  11. spell — letters
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rock — music
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to drill
  20. rock — a stone
  21. bulb — for light
  22. spell — a short time
  23. degree — from a university
  24. file — a line of people

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