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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. field — for sport
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. field — farmland
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mark — a grade
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mark — a trace
  14. rash — hasty
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rash — a series
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. field — a subject
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. tear — to rip
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — on your feet

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