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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. field — for sport
  3. key — in music
  4. press — to push
  5. object — an aim
  6. deal — to handle
  7. key — the most important part
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. key — for a lock
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. row — to paddle
  13. press — a publisher
  14. fork — in a road
  15. field — a subject
  16. row — a line
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. press — newspapers
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. field — farmland
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. object — to protest
  23. mine — for digging
  24. object — a thing

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