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: file · cabinet · lie · tube · tear · staff · chest · snap

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. tube — the underground
  3. staff — employees
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. file — a tool
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. staff — a stick
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tube — a container
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. file — a document
  16. snap — to click
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. tear — from crying
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. staff — employees
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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