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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lean — thin
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bear — the animal
  10. file — a tool
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. row — to paddle
  13. saw — the tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. file — a document
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bear — the animal
  23. fork — in a road
  24. row — a line

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