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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. wake — a trail
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — in music
  9. drill — army training
  10. season — of the year
  11. last — to go on
  12. season — in sport
  13. field — for sport
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. drill — the tool
  16. field — farmland
  17. key — the most important part
  18. drill — a practice

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