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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pitch — completely
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. track — a path
  8. drill — army training
  9. field — for sport
  10. firm — steady
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. field — farmland
  14. firm — a company
  15. bat — the animal
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. track — to keep track
  19. drill — a practice
  20. field — a subject
  21. track — a song
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. drill — the tool

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