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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. She's very handy with 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. fork — a garden tool
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. mate — a friend
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rule — a law
  11. wound — an injury
  12. court — for sport
  13. spell — letters
  14. mate — to breed
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. spell — magic
  18. mate — a partner
  19. rule — government
  20. court — of law
  21. court — of a king
  22. fork — in a road
  23. saw — the tool
  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