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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — a price
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. field — farmland
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. field — a subject
  11. charge — in control
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. track — a path
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. track — to keep track
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. track — a song
  19. current — happening now
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. current — electric
  23. current — of water
  24. wax — to grow

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