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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. spring — a coil
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. spring — the season
  7. shower — rain
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. net — after costs
  13. race — a contest
  14. shower — to wash
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — humankind
  17. net — in sport
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. net — for catching
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. kid — child
  24. spring — of water

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