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 120 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. hand — in cards
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. fork — in a road
  7. file — a document
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. file — a tool
  11. rest — a break
  12. row — a line
  13. foot — a measure
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. row — to paddle
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. file — a line of people
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. rest — what's left

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