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: chip · bark · date · wound · craft · mine · season · field

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bark — to shout
  3. field — farmland
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. field — for sport
  6. season — in sport
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. wound — an injury
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. craft — a skill
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — for betting
  14. craft — boats
  15. season — of the year
  16. field — a subject
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. mine — an explosive

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