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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · chip · field · file · wind · deal

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. chip — for betting
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. file — a document
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. field — a subject
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. file — a line of people
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. deal — a big deal

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