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: march · ball · mine · hand · leaves · fork · hide · saw

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. saw — the tool
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. march — the month
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. march — music
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. hand — help
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. fork — in a road
  15. march — the month
  16. mine — for digging
  17. hand — in cards
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. ball — a round shape

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