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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. craft — a skill
  3. face — to confront
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. saw — the tool
  6. face — part of the head
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — to breed
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. tear — from crying
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mate — a partner
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. tear — from crying
  18. face — to point toward
  19. tear — to rip
  20. field — for sport
  21. craft — boats
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. nail — on a finger

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