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 · game · field · toast · wake · rush · calf · court

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. rush — hurry
  4. field — a subject
  5. court — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. game — a match
  11. court — of a king
  12. field — for sport
  13. lie — to recline
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. court — of law
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — bread
  21. game — wild animals
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. lie — an untruth

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