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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. field — farmland
  3. hand — in cards
  4. file — a tool
  5. hand — help
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mine — for digging
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. file — a line of people
  13. sharp — clever
  14. field — a subject
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — music
  17. field — for sport
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rock — a stone
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. fine — high quality
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. fine — all right

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