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: sharp · fork · band · wake · spring · field · pit · tear

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. sharp — clever
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. wake — a trail
  8. spring — the season
  9. pit — a hole
  10. tear — from crying
  11. band — a ring
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. band — a music group
  14. fork — in a road
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pit — in a race
  18. spring — a coil
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. field — farmland
  21. spring — of water
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. tear — to rip

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