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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. cold — not warm
  3. fork — in a road
  4. staff — employees
  5. land — to come down
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. field — farmland
  9. can — to be able to
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. spell — letters
  12. field — for sport
  13. spell — a short time
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. staff — employees
  17. field — a subject
  18. land — ground
  19. staff — a stick
  20. land — a country
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. can — a tin
  23. cold — an illness
  24. can — a tin

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