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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. last — to go on
  3. land — to come down
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. bank — for money
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. field — a subject
  9. last — final
  10. land — a country
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. field — for sport
  15. tube — the underground
  16. land — ground
  17. tube — a container
  18. march — the month
  19. bank — for money
  20. wake — a trail
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bank — of a river
  23. last — finally
  24. pit — a hole

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