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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — to rob
  4. craft — boats
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wind — moving air
  8. craft — a skill
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. fork — in a road
  11. stem — to come from
  12. scale — in music
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. wind — moving air
  15. can — a tin
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. land — to come down
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. mug — a cup
  20. can — a tin
  21. land — a country
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. scale — size or range
  24. fork — to eat with

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