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: row · date · race · firm · hide · field · perch · scale

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. field — farmland
  3. date — the fruit
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. field — a subject
  6. firm — steady
  7. firm — decided
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. firm — a company
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. race — a contest
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. race — the arms race
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. field — for sport
  17. scale — in music
  18. row — to paddle
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. row — a line
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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