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: nail · cap · straw · mouse · wind · field · land · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. cap — a lid
  5. field — a subject
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. field — for sport
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. field — farmland
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. land — ground
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. cap — of ice
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cap — a hat
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mine — belonging to me

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