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: game · perch · rest · fine · pitcher · file · date · shower

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rest — what's left
  5. game — wild animals
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rest — a break
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. file — a document
  10. perch — the fish
  11. rest — what's left
  12. shower — rain
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fine — all right
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. shower — to wash
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. fine — high quality
  22. file — a tool
  23. date — the fruit
  24. date — on the calendar

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