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: prune · lie · file · cold · dip · safe · mouse · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. cold — an illness
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. field — for sport
  9. dip — to sink
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. file — a line of people
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. lie — to recline
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. file — a document
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. cold — not warm
  22. field — a subject
  23. file — a tool
  24. prune — to trim

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