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 116 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: land · clip · cell · saw · field · chip · craft · nail

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. land — ground
  3. chip — to eat
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. saw — the tool
  6. field — farmland
  7. saw — the tool
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. field — for sport
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — in biology
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. land — a country
  15. cell — a phone
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. craft — a skill
  19. clip — to cut
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. chip — for betting
  22. field — a subject
  23. land — to come down
  24. craft — boats

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