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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tube · file · pound · vault · chest · rash · clip · leaves

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. clip — a video
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. clip — to cut
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. file — a line of people
  8. chest — a box
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. file — a document
  11. rash — hasty
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. chest — of your body
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. pound — a weight
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. clip — for paper
  21. file — a tool
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rash — a series

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