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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rash — hasty
  3. field — for sport
  4. last — to go on
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. last — finally
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. rash — a series
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bark — to shout
  16. mate — a partner
  17. field — farmland
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. field — a subject
  20. last — final
  21. season — in sport
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. season — of the year
  24. bay — a horse colour

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