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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. file — a line of people
  6. prune — to trim
  7. drill — army training
  8. field — a subject
  9. drill — a practice
  10. file — a document
  11. mate — to breed
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. prune — to trim
  14. drill — the tool
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wound — an injury
  17. field — farmland
  18. file — a tool
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. wound — an injury
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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