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

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. scale — size or range
  4. saw — the tool
  5. lie — to recline
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bore — to tire
  10. plane — a tool
  11. game — a match
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — in music
  14. bore — to drill
  15. field — for sport
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. saw — the tool
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rush — hurry
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. plane — in geometry

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