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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. root — of a word
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. march — the month
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. root — of a plant
  11. rash — hasty
  12. field — for sport
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. field — a subject
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. wind — moving air
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. root — the cause
  22. snap — to click
  23. pound — a weight
  24. rash — a series

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