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: spring · root · file · track · last · sharp · row · rule

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. sharp — clever
  3. last — finally
  4. track — to keep track
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. root — of a word
  7. file — a tool
  8. row — to paddle
  9. rule — government
  10. track — a path
  11. last — to go on
  12. rule — a law
  13. root — of a plant
  14. track — a song
  15. file — a line of people
  16. spring — a coil
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. root — the cause
  20. file — a document
  21. row — a line
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. last — final

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