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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. hand — help
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. field — farmland
  5. key — the most important part
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. track — to keep track
  8. hand — in cards
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. key — in music
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. track — a path
  13. field — for sport
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. firm — decided
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. fork — in a road
  20. firm — a company
  21. track — a song
  22. land — ground
  23. key — for a lock
  24. field — a subject

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