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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · capital · band · field · safe · fork

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. field — for sport
  4. band — a music group
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. capital — a city
  7. fork — in a road
  8. band — a ring
  9. field — farmland
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. wind — moving air
  17. capital — money
  18. wind — moving air

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