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: game · hand · plane · field · saw · bore · rule · rush

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. hand — in cards
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. field — a subject
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rule — a law
  9. saw — the tool
  10. field — for sport
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bore — to drill
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. game — a match
  18. rule — government
  19. bore — to tire
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. hand — help
  22. field — farmland
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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