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: bass · last · roll · hide · file · race · saw · fork

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. file — a tool
  3. race — a contest
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. last — finally
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bass — the fish
  9. file — a document
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. saw — the tool
  12. roll — a list
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — low music
  19. fork — in a road
  20. file — a line of people
  21. race — humankind
  22. roll — a cake
  23. race — the arms race
  24. roll — on a roll

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