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: spring · rush · trunk · mark · field · drill · mate · last

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. drill — a practice
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. spring — of water
  6. mark — a grade
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. last — final
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. spring — the season
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mate — a partner
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. last — to go on
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. mate — a friend
  19. drill — army training
  20. spring — a coil
  21. mark — a trace
  22. last — finally
  23. rush — hurry
  24. mate — to breed

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