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: court · cap · mark · pass · last · wind · lie · field

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pass — a permit
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cap — of ice
  5. field — for sport
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cap — a lid
  9. field — a subject
  10. cap — a hat
  11. court — of law
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. court — for sport
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. last — final
  19. mark — a grade
  20. wind — moving air
  21. court — of a king
  22. last — to go on
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. field — farmland

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