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: rule · field · sharp · last · fine · saw · pit · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. pit — a hole
  3. fine — high quality
  4. last — to go on
  5. rule — government
  6. last — finally
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. last — final
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. spring — a coil
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. fine — all right
  22. pit — in a race
  23. rule — a law
  24. spring — the season

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