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 116 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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to confront
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. bore — to tire
  9. saw — the tool
  10. field — farmland
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. spring — the season
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spring — of water
  15. field — for sport
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bore — to drill
  18. spring — a coil
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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