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: fork · wake · mine · land · saw · bound · rest · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. land — to come down
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. land — ground
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bound — obliged
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bound — certain
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bound — tied together
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. land — a country
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. rest — what's left
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rest — a break
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. hand — help

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