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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. net — after costs
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pound — a weight
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. field — farmland
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. field — for sport
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. plane — a tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bound — certain
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wind — moving air
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. ruler — a monarch

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