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: wake · game · ruler · chair · trunk · plane · file · tear

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. file — a tool
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. chair — a leader
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. tear — from crying
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wake — a trail
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. file — a line of people
  17. tear — from crying
  18. file — a document
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. tear — to rip
  22. game — a match
  23. plane — a tool
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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