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 120 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: chest · mate · drill · wind · fan · file · rest · object

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — an aim
  5. rest — what's left
  6. file — a document
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. drill — army training
  10. mate — a friend
  11. file — a tool
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. object — a thing
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. drill — a practice
  20. wind — moving air
  21. drill — the tool
  22. chest — of your body
  23. file — a line of people
  24. fan — a supporter

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