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: march · ball · stock · bark · arm · field · foot · sharp

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. march — the month
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. foot — a measure
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. sharp — clever
  8. march — the month
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. march — music
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stock — goods
  15. field — farmland
  16. bark — to shout
  17. ball — a great time
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. field — a subject
  23. ball — a dance
  24. sharp — exactly

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