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: mark · drill · land · game · field · present · face · jam

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — the time now
  3. land — ground
  4. present — a gift
  5. drill — a practice
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. field — a subject
  8. drill — army training
  9. game — wild animals
  10. face — to point toward
  11. drill — the tool
  12. land — a country
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. face — part of the head
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. field — for sport
  17. face — to confront
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. game — a match
  21. field — farmland
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. land — to come down

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