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 · field · wake · staff · file · pitcher · rest · mug

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. mug — to rob
  5. file — a line of people
  6. staff — employees
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rest — a break
  12. mug — a cup
  13. rest — what's left
  14. file — a document
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. field — a subject
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mug — a face
  20. staff — employees
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wake — a trail
  24. saw — the tool

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