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: field · file · ruler · stock · rule · hide · chest · fork

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. chest — of your body
  3. field — for sport
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a document
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fork — in a road
  9. file — a line of people
  10. stock — shares
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. stock — goods
  13. field — farmland
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. chest — a box
  19. field — a subject
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. rule — a law
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rule — government

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