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: snap · chair · shower · rash · field · saw · pit · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. shower — to wash
  5. file — a tool
  6. snap — to click
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rash — a series
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. saw — the tool
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. chair — a leader
  16. field — farmland
  17. shower — rain
  18. pit — a hole
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pit — in a race
  21. rash — hasty
  22. field — for sport
  23. file — a document
  24. field — a subject

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