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: lie · shower · net · band · track · field · fork · wound

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. field — a subject
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. fork — in a road
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wound — an injury
  11. net — after costs
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. track — a song
  14. field — for sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. shower — rain
  18. field — farmland
  19. track — a path
  20. shower — to wash
  21. band — a ring
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. track — to keep track
  24. band — a music group

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