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: stick · hide · cabinet · rash · field · rule · race · roll

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. rule — government
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. race — a contest
  12. field — a subject
  13. roll — a cake
  14. race — humankind
  15. rule — a law
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. field — farmland
  22. rash — a series
  23. roll — a list
  24. race — the arms race

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