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: fan · cold · spell · lean · deal · staff · stick · file

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. staff — employees
  3. deal — to handle
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. staff — employees
  6. file — a line of people
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. file — a tool
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — magic
  12. lean — thin
  13. cold — an illness
  14. file — a document
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. staff — a stick
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. spell — letters
  22. lean — to bend
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cold — not warm

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