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: nail · mark · field · scale · wake · spell · pit · calf

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mark — a trace
  3. spell — letters
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. field — farmland
  8. pit — in a race
  9. mark — a grade
  10. field — a subject
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wake — a trail
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. field — for sport
  18. scale — size or range
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pit — a hole
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. scale — in music
  24. calf — of the leg

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