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: drill · last · bark · march · calf · face · field · wave

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. last — final
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. last — finally
  6. march — music
  7. face — to point toward
  8. march — the month
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. drill — a practice
  11. face — to confront
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — farmland
  17. face — part of the head
  18. last — to go on
  19. drill — army training
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. march — the month
  24. drill — the tool

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