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: foot · sharp · tube · branch · last · drill · bound · field

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. last — final
  3. sharp — clever
  4. last — to go on
  5. drill — a practice
  6. foot — a measure
  7. field — a subject
  8. tube — the underground
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. field — farmland
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. last — finally
  15. tube — a container
  16. bound — obliged
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. branch — a division
  19. drill — the tool
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bound — tied together
  22. drill — army training
  23. field — for sport
  24. branch — of a bank

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