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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. file — a document
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — to tease
  5. file — a tool
  6. field — a subject
  7. scale — size or range
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. roll — a cake
  11. pop — music
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. kid — child
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. scale — in music
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pop — to visit
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. roll — a list
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. field — farmland
  22. pop — soda
  23. file — a line of people
  24. field — for sport

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