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: hide · file · track · chest · game · fall · bulb · wake

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. chest — of your body
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. chest — a box
  9. track — a path
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. file — a tool
  13. bulb — for light
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. file — a document
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. game — wild animals
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bulb — for light
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. file — a line of people
  23. game — a match
  24. wake — a trail

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