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

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. field — farmland
  3. saw — the tool
  4. field — a subject
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rest — what's left
  10. saw — the tool
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. field — for sport
  17. last — finally
  18. last — to go on

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