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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — a skill
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. land — a country
  8. pop — music
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. craft — boats
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. plane — a tool
  16. land — ground
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — soda
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. land — to come down
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. fork — a garden 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