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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. season — in sport
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. rest — what's left
  8. season — of the year
  9. branch — a division
  10. rest — a break
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. face — to confront
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — money
  15. face — part of the head
  16. field — a subject
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. capital — a city
  24. face — to point toward

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