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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. plane — a tool
  7. current — of water
  8. lean — thin
  9. fork — in a road
  10. current — electric
  11. lean — to bend
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. track — a song
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. saw — the tool
  23. current — happening now
  24. saw — the tool

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