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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. field — a subject
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. field — for sport
  10. hand — help
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. row — to paddle
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. row — a line
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fork — in a road
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. field — farmland
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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