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: last · spell · mate · face · field · stand · snap · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. game — a match
  2. field — farmland
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. mate — a partner
  7. spell — a short time
  8. last — to go on
  9. mate — a friend
  10. spell — magic
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. face — to confront
  13. spell — letters
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. field — for sport
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. last — final
  18. game — wild animals
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to click
  21. last — finally
  22. stand — to bear
  23. field — a subject
  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