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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mine — for digging
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. rest — what's left
  8. field — for sport
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — boats
  12. march — the month
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. field — farmland
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. object — a thing
  17. field — a subject
  18. object — an aim
  19. march — the month
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. rest — what's left
  22. sharp — clever
  23. march — music
  24. object — to protest

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