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: fan · root · cell · cold · nail · mark · bore · file

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. file — a document
  3. cold — not warm
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mark — a grade
  7. root — of a word
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cell — in biology
  11. root — the cause
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. root — of a plant
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bore — to drill
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. file — a tool
  24. nail — on a finger

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