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: bank · charge · field · cell · fork · kid · rule · snap

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. field — a subject
  4. rule — a law
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. field — for sport
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. rule — government
  11. snap — to click
  12. bank — for money
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. cell — in biology
  15. charge — a price
  16. cell — a phone
  17. charge — in control
  18. bank — of a river
  19. kid — to tease
  20. charge — electricity
  21. kid — child
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. field — farmland
  24. fork — in a road

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