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 116 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — farmland
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. field — for sport
  7. firm — a company
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — magic
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — to tease
  14. spell — letters
  15. mark — a trace
  16. cap — a lid
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — decided
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. chair — a leader
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a hat
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mark — a grade

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