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 120 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: game · field · fan · wind · mate · wake · hide · key

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. game — wild animals
  4. key — for a lock
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. field — farmland
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. mate — a friend
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. key — in music
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wake — a trail
  14. key — the most important part
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. field — for sport
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. wind — moving air
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. field — a subject

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