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: stick · cabinet · track · wound · roll · field · ground · wind

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. field — for sport
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. ground — a position
  8. wound — an injury
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. field — farmland
  12. roll — a cake
  13. track — a path
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. wind — moving air
  16. track — a song
  17. ground — crushed
  18. wind — moving air
  19. roll — a list
  20. track — to keep track
  21. ground — the earth
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. field — a subject
  24. cabinet — ministers

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