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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. last — to go on
  8. march — music
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. shower — to wash
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. march — the month
  16. last — final
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. game — wild animals
  20. last — finally
  21. march — the month
  22. board — to get on
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. board — a committee

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