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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. wind — moving air
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. stock — goods
  8. degree — an amount
  9. craft — a skill
  10. fork — in a road
  11. kid — to tease
  12. degree — temperature
  13. kid — child
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. stock — shares
  17. craft — boats
  18. degree — from a university
  19. wind — moving air
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. patient — a sick person

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