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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. field — farmland
  5. hand — in cards
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. tube — a container
  8. field — a subject
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pit — in a race
  14. ground — crushed
  15. tube — the underground
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hand — help
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. field — for sport
  22. fork — in a road
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. hand — part of the body

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