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: scale · tear · fork · spell · chest · nail · file · calf

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. tear — to rip
  4. file — a line of people
  5. tear — from crying
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. chest — of your body
  9. tear — from crying
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. chest — of your body
  19. spell — a short time
  20. fork — in a road
  21. spell — magic
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. spell — letters
  24. chest — a box

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