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 120 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: last · fork · mug · calf · lie · game · wound · field

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. field — a subject
  3. game — wild animals
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. last — to go on
  7. game — a match
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. last — finally
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mug — a face
  12. lie — to recline
  13. field — farmland
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mug — a cup
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. last — final
  20. wound — an injury
  21. field — for sport
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — a garden tool

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