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: nail · straw · chair · bore · saw · bark · field · fan

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. field — farmland
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. field — for sport
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bark — to shout
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. chair — a leader

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