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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. land — ground
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. march — music
  6. face — to point toward
  7. field — for sport
  8. wind — moving air
  9. field — farmland
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wind — moving air
  13. press — a publisher
  14. land — to come down
  15. press — to push
  16. march — the month
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. field — a subject
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. face — to confront
  21. fork — in a road
  22. land — a country
  23. face — part of the head
  24. march — the month

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