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: saw · fan · hide · ground · last · kid · bound · fork

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ground — crushed
  4. fork — in a road
  5. saw — the tool
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bound — obliged
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bound — tied together
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bound — certain
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. last — finally
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. last — final
  22. kid — to tease
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — to eat with

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