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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — of ice
  4. track — a song
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. field — a subject
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rest — what's left
  9. face — to confront
  10. track — to keep track
  11. field — farmland
  12. last — to go on
  13. face — part of the head
  14. track — a path
  15. cap — a lid
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. snap — to click
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. rest — a break
  20. field — for sport
  21. rest — what's left
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. last — final
  24. leaves — lets stay

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