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: saw · hand · fork · spell · rash · tube · face · wake

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rash — hasty
  4. hand — in cards
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. face — part of the head
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. face — to confront
  11. tube — the underground
  12. spell — a short time
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. hand — help
  16. rash — a series
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. face — to point toward
  22. saw — the tool
  23. tube — a container
  24. spell — magic

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