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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. present — a gift
  4. toast — bread
  5. field — a subject
  6. drill — the tool
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. craft — boats
  9. drill — a practice
  10. present — the time now
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. file — a document
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. drill — army training
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. file — a tool
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. field — for sport
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. present — there
  22. field — farmland
  23. craft — a skill
  24. file — a line of people

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