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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. fine — high quality
  4. wound — an injury
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. field — for sport
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. field — a subject
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. field — farmland
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mine — for digging
  24. fine — all right

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