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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mine — for digging
  3. lie — to recline
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — thin
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. stand — to bear
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. clip — for paper
  14. ground — a position
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. pitch — completely
  17. ground — crushed
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. clip — a video
  20. ground — the earth
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. clip — to cut

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