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: hand · last · rush · file · mug · bat · rock · game

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. game — wild animals
  3. file — a line of people
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. game — a match
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mug — a face
  14. hand — help
  15. rock — music
  16. rush — hurry
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. rock — a stone
  19. mug — a cup
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mug — to rob
  22. hand — in cards
  23. file — a tool
  24. bat — in an idiom

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