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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. staff — employees
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mate — a partner
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. field — a subject
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. field — for sport
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mate — a friend
  14. march — the month
  15. staff — a stick
  16. game — wild animals
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. staff — employees
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. field — farmland

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