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 120 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: field · pop · perch · tear · mark · rush · stick · race

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. rush — hurry
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. race — the arms race
  6. pop — soda
  7. tear — to rip
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. pop — to visit
  10. field — for sport
  11. mark — a grade
  12. race — humankind
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. perch — the fish
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pop — music
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a trace
  20. tear — from crying
  21. race — a contest
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. field — a subject

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