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: last · object · file · spring · cabinet · ground · tube · mate

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. tube — a container
  3. last — final
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — a coil
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — to protest
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. spring — of water
  10. ground — a position
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. mate — a friend
  13. object — a thing
  14. ground — crushed
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mate — to breed
  17. file — a tool
  18. mate — a partner
  19. file — a line of people
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — finally
  22. ground — the earth
  23. file — a document
  24. cabinet — ministers

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