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 116 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: lie · file · last · plane · stick · kid · club · cold

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. file — a tool
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. club — a group
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. cold — not warm
  9. kid — to tease
  10. plane — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. club — for dancing
  16. last — finally
  17. kid — child
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. cold — an illness
  20. file — a document
  21. last — final
  22. club — for golf
  23. last — to go on
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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