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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. field — a subject
  4. toast — bread
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. race — humankind
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. net — after costs
  11. race — the arms race
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. race — a contest
  14. pound — a weight
  15. net — for catching
  16. field — farmland
  17. net — in sport
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. last — finally
  24. field — for sport

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