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: row · march · field · stand · fall · perch · toast · spell

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. spell — magic
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. field — farmland
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stand — to bear
  7. spell — letters
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. toast — bread
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. field — for sport
  12. perch — the fish
  13. row — to paddle
  14. fall — the season
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. spell — a short time
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. row — a line
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — on your feet

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