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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. land — a country
  3. land — ground
  4. tube — a container
  5. file — a document
  6. bank — for money
  7. march — the month
  8. clip — a video
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bank — for money
  16. march — music
  17. file — a tool
  18. land — to come down
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. tube — the underground
  21. file — a line of people
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bank — of a river
  24. march — the month

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