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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. present — the time now
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. ground — a position
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. ground — crushed
  8. key — the most important part
  9. rest — what's left
  10. ground — the earth
  11. present — a gift
  12. key — for a lock
  13. game — a match
  14. rest — a break
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. key — in music
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rest — what's left
  21. chair — a leader
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. field — a subject
  24. present — there

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