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: lie · land · band · pop · wave · craft · race · field

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. land — ground
  3. band — a ring
  4. pop — music
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. race — humankind
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. craft — a skill
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. land — a country
  12. field — a subject
  13. land — to come down
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. craft — boats
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. race — a contest
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. lie — to recline
  23. race — the arms race
  24. pop — soda

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