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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — in a road
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. kid — to tease
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. hand — help
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. march — the month
  14. kid — child
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. march — music
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. mine — for digging
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. hand — in cards

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