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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. fall — the season
  3. bat — the animal
  4. suit — in cards
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. rush — hurry
  10. field — farmland
  11. fall — to drop
  12. field — a subject
  13. suit — to fit
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. suit — clothes

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