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 · roll · game · foot · saw · mine · tube · capital

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. saw — the tool
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. tube — a container
  8. saw — the tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. roll — a cake
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. file — a tool
  14. foot — a measure
  15. tube — the underground
  16. capital — a city
  17. file — a document
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. mine — for digging
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. roll — a list
  24. capital — money

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