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 · bark · rest · snap · pitcher · rush · firm · toast

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bark — to shout
  3. firm — decided
  4. file — a line of people
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. toast — bread
  9. file — a document
  10. firm — steady
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. file — a tool
  20. snap — to click
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rest — a break
  24. firm — a company

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