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: wake · bay · mug · pop · sharp · wound · race · field

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. pop — to visit
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pop — soda
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. mug — to rob
  8. field — for sport
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wake — a trail
  11. sharp — clever
  12. race — the arms race
  13. mug — a face
  14. field — a subject
  15. race — humankind
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. field — farmland
  18. race — a contest
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pop — music
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wound — an injury

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