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: last · bank · rash · cold · drill · file · lash · vault

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. file — a document
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cold — not warm
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bank — for money
  10. last — finally
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. drill — army training
  13. rash — a series
  14. file — a tool
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. cold — an illness
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bank — of a river
  19. last — to go on
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. vault — a safe
  23. last — final
  24. file — a line of people

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