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: row · tear · kid · bank · land · cabinet · chair · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. bank — for money
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bank — of a river
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. tear — to rip
  13. land — ground
  14. field — a subject
  15. kid — child
  16. bank — for money
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. field — for sport
  20. kid — to tease
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. row — a line

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