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: field · bay · nail · lie · land · mate · mine · race

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. mate — a friend
  9. race — humankind
  10. field — a subject
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. field — farmland
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mate — to breed
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. race — a contest
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mate — a partner
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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