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: bore · nail · chip · foot · march · field · staff · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. field — farmland
  4. staff — a stick
  5. march — the month
  6. chip — to eat
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. field — for sport
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bore — to tire
  13. field — a subject
  14. chip — for betting
  15. march — the month
  16. staff — employees
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. staff — employees
  19. march — music
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bore — to drill
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. foot — the bottom

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