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: game · scale · file · spring · ground · bay · rock · lean

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. lean — to bend
  5. file — a tool
  6. lean — thin
  7. rock — music
  8. ground — the earth
  9. game — wild animals
  10. scale — size or range
  11. spring — a coil
  12. file — a document
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. spring — of water
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. spring — the season
  20. file — a line of people
  21. ground — a position
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. ground — crushed
  24. scale — in music

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