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 124 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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. lean — to bend
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. row — to paddle
  7. scale — in music
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wake — a trail
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. lean — thin
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. hand — in cards
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. hand — help
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — in a road
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. scale — size or range
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. row — a line
  24. scale — for weighing

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