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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. key — the most important part
  5. fall — to drop
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. fall — the season
  8. last — to go on
  9. pit — in a race
  10. fall — to drop
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. key — in music
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. field — for sport
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. field — farmland
  20. key — for a lock
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pit — a hole
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. field — a subject

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