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

Word bank: land · spring · scale · file · foot · squash · lie · race

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. spring — of water
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. file — a tool
  5. race — a contest
  6. land — ground
  7. scale — in music
  8. squash — to crush
  9. land — to come down
  10. file — a line of people
  11. foot — a measure
  12. lie — to recline
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. spring — the season
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. spring — a coil
  18. race — humankind
  19. squash — the sport
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. scale — size or range
  22. file — a document
  23. land — a country
  24. race — the arms race

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