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: foot · roll · rush · kid · land · field · scale · file

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. land — to come down
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. field — for sport
  5. land — a country
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. foot — a measure
  9. field — a subject
  10. kid — to tease
  11. scale — in music
  12. file — a line of people
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. file — a tool
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. field — farmland
  17. land — ground
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. file — a document
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. kid — child
  22. rush — hurry
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — a cake

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