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

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. field — for sport
  3. capital — money
  4. field — a subject
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. pop — music
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. field — farmland
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. wax — to grow
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pop — to visit
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pop — soda
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. tear — to rip
  21. kick — in football
  22. dip — to sink
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — a big letter

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