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: mate · bat · rock · bay · sharp · march · file · field

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. file — a line of people
  3. march — the month
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. march — the month
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. file — a tool
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. march — music
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bat — the animal
  23. file — a document
  24. mate — to breed

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