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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. last — to go on
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rash — hasty
  6. field — farmland
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. sharp — clever
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. rash — a series
  14. net — for catching
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. fork — in a road
  19. last — finally
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. field — for sport
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rash — on the skin

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