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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. mine — for digging
  3. drill — the tool
  4. field — for sport
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — a practice
  12. field — a subject
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. field — farmland
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a match
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. spell — a short time

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