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: face · branch · pop · sharp · patient · cap · field · hand

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. field — for sport
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cap — of ice
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. cap — a hat
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. branch — a division
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pop — to visit
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. field — farmland
  16. pop — soda
  17. sharp — clever
  18. field — a subject
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. face — to confront
  24. pop — music

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