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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. rest — a break
  3. field — a subject
  4. drill — army training
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. field — for sport
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. drill — the tool
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. drill — a practice
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. lie — to recline
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mouse — for a computer

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