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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. rash — a series
  6. saw — the tool
  7. file — a document
  8. drill — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. saw — the tool
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. field — farmland
  21. game — a match
  22. rash — hasty
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for sport

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