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: race · land · bear · cell · field · staff · present · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. present — a gift
  3. race — a contest
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. cell — in biology
  7. present — the time now
  8. staff — employees
  9. present — there
  10. land — a country
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bear — the animal
  13. staff — a stick
  14. last — finally
  15. field — a subject
  16. staff — employees
  17. bear — the animal
  18. field — for sport
  19. land — ground
  20. field — farmland
  21. last — to go on
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. land — to come down
  24. race — humankind

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