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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. field — for sport
  3. last — to go on
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. last — final
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. face — to confront
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. field — farmland
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bark — to shout
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. field — a subject
  17. face — part of the head
  18. foot — a measure
  19. face — to point toward
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. last — finally
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. arm — part of the body

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