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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. field — for sport
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. date — the fruit
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. craft — boats
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. field — a subject
  15. clip — to cut
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. clip — a video
  18. mine — for digging
  19. clip — for paper
  20. pound — a weight
  21. craft — a skill
  22. field — farmland
  23. foot — a measure
  24. calf — of the leg

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