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 124 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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. last — to go on
  3. row — to paddle
  4. chest — of your body
  5. field — farmland
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. drill — army training
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. field — a subject
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. last — finally
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. chest — a box
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. drill — the tool
  21. row — a line
  22. field — for sport
  23. last — final
  24. pitcher — a jug

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