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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. field — for sport
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fork — in a road
  6. pop — to visit
  7. current — happening now
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pop — soda
  10. wound — an injury
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. dip — to sink
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. current — electric
  18. current — of water
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. pop — music
  24. field — farmland

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