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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. tear — from crying
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. suit — in cards
  5. branch — a division
  6. clip — a video
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. fall — to drop
  10. tear — from crying
  11. net — after costs
  12. tear — to rip
  13. clip — to cut
  14. file — a document
  15. vault — a safe
  16. fall — to drop
  17. clip — for paper
  18. file — a tool
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — to fit
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. fall — the season
  24. branch — of a bank

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