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: bark · field · land · pitcher · toast · snap · plane · key

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. land — a country
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. field — for sport
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. field — farmland
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. key — the most important part
  15. snap — to click
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. land — ground
  20. field — a subject
  21. plane — a tool
  22. land — to come down
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. toast — bread

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