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 make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — an aim
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. wind — moving air
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. drill — army training
  10. file — a tool
  11. object — a thing
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. toast — bread
  14. date — the fruit
  15. deal — to handle
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. drill — the tool
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. file — a document
  21. wind — moving air
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. file — a line of people
  24. deal — an agreement

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