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: date · file · plane · row · face · rest · mine · snap

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. file — a tool
  7. date — the fruit
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. face — to confront
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. plane — a tool
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. row — a line
  22. row — to paddle
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mine — for digging

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