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: mate · arm · field · fork · sharp · snap · tear · staff

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. snap — to click
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — a friend
  5. staff — employees
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. fork — in a road
  9. sharp — clever
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. tear — to rip
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. staff — a stick
  14. field — farmland
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. field — a subject
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. mate — to breed
  19. staff — employees
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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