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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. field — a subject
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. file — a line of people
  5. field — farmland
  6. race — the arms race
  7. pound — a weight
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. staff — employees
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. fork — in a road
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. file — a tool
  17. field — for sport
  18. staff — employees
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. staff — a stick
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. file — a document

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