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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. net — for catching
  9. sharp — clever
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. land — ground
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. field — a subject
  16. net — in sport
  17. land — a country
  18. field — farmland
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — to bear
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. net — after costs
  24. land — to come down

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