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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. last — final
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. hand — help
  5. court — of law
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. last — to go on
  9. fine — high quality
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. field — for sport
  12. court — for sport
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. last — finally
  15. field — farmland
  16. stock — shares
  17. content — the amount
  18. fine — all right
  19. lie — to recline
  20. content — happy
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hand — in cards
  23. stock — goods
  24. court — of a king

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