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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pitch — completely
  4. wound — an injury
  5. dip — to sink
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. field — for sport
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a skill
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. row — a line
  20. wound — an injury
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. field — a subject
  24. row — to paddle

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