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: field · fork · fan · race · safe · shower · roll · march

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. shower — to wash
  3. field — for sport
  4. race — a contest
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. race — humankind
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. march — music
  10. field — a subject
  11. roll — a cake
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. field — farmland
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. roll — a list
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. race — the arms race
  20. fork — in a road
  21. march — the month
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. shower — rain
  24. roll — on a roll

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