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 116 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 · hand · deal · drill · wake · stick · mate · face

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. wake — a trail
  4. face — to confront
  5. hand — help
  6. mate — to breed
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. face — part of the head
  11. mate — a friend
  12. field — farmland
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. drill — the tool
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mate — a partner
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. field — a subject
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — a practice
  24. hand — in cards

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