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: stem · swing · row · fork · file · march · date · chest

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  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 document
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. swing — in golf
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. march — music
  8. date — the fruit
  9. file — a line of people
  10. stem — to come from
  11. march — the month
  12. swing — music
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. row — a line
  17. chest — of your body
  18. march — the month
  19. fork — in a road
  20. file — a tool
  21. chest — a box
  22. swing — to play on
  23. chest — of your body
  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