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 120 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. chip — to eat
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. tube — a container
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pitch — completely
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. field — for sport
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rock — music
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. field — a subject
  19. bulb — for light
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. chip — for betting
  23. tube — the underground
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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