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: saw · march · field · wake · hide · cue · present · foot

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. present — a gift
  3. saw — the tool
  4. march — the month
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — there
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. march — the month
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. cue — a signal
  16. march — music
  17. foot — a measure
  18. cue — for pool
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. cue — a hint
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. wake — a trail

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