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: field · race · content · plane · kick · ground · file · arm

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. field — farmland
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a document
  5. ground — crushed
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. field — for sport
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. race — a contest
  10. plane — a tool
  11. ground — the earth
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — the arms race
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. content — the amount
  16. field — a subject
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. ground — a position
  21. content — happy
  22. file — a line of people
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. plane — in geometry

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