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: wind · rash · last · key · field · hand · pitcher · jam

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. field — a subject
  3. rash — a series
  4. last — final
  5. wind — moving air
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. key — for a lock
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. hand — help
  10. wind — moving air
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. key — in music
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. last — finally
  17. key — the most important part
  18. field — farmland
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. field — for sport

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