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: field · race · pound · deal · leaves · spell · land · root

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. land — to come down
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. spell — a short time
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. race — the arms race
  10. deal — to handle
  11. spell — letters
  12. race — humankind
  13. land — a country
  14. spell — magic
  15. root — of a plant
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. race — a contest
  18. root — the cause
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. land — ground
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pound — a weight

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