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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. fork — in a road
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — music
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. field — farmland
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in biology
  11. ground — a position
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. ground — crushed
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. ground — the earth
  22. clip — a video
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. field — a subject

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