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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bat — the animal
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. fine — all right
  5. field — for sport
  6. branch — a division
  7. sharp — clever
  8. tear — to rip
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. field — farmland
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. vault — a safe
  21. rule — a law
  22. fine — high quality
  23. rule — government
  24. tear — from crying

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