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: deal · prune · hand · file · bass · drill · cold · pit

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. hand — help
  4. cold — not warm
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. drill — the tool
  9. pit — in a race
  10. prune — to trim
  11. drill — army training
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. prune — to trim
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bass — low music
  19. pit — a hole
  20. file — a document
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. cold — an illness

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