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

Word bank: rule · bowl · net · fork · file · kid

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. kid — child
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. net — after costs
  8. file — a tool
  9. rule — a law
  10. kid — to tease
  11. file — a document
  12. rule — government
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. fork — in a road
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport

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