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: bark · sharp · race · pit · field · band · temple · present

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. sharp — clever
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. race — humankind
  6. field — farmland
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bark — to shout
  9. field — for sport
  10. present — a gift
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — the arms race
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. field — a subject
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — in a race
  21. present — the time now
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. band — a ring
  24. temple — a place of worship

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