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: saw · bear · present · plane · cold · pitcher · lie · file

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. plane — a tool
  7. file — a document
  8. present — the time now
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. present — a gift
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cold — not warm
  16. present — there
  17. cold — an illness
  18. file — a tool
  19. bear — the animal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bear — to put up with

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