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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. swing — to play on
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. spell — magic
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. field — a subject
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. shower — to wash
  11. field — for sport
  12. saw — the tool
  13. field — farmland
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. rush — hurry
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — a short time
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. fork — in a road
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  24. shower — rain

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