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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. rule — government
  5. field — for sport
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. mate — to breed
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pound — a weight
  12. clip — a video
  13. face — to confront
  14. bore — to tire
  15. field — farmland
  16. mate — a friend
  17. face — to point toward
  18. rule — a law
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bore — to drill
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. clip — to cut

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