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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. present — a gift
  4. capital — money
  5. present — there
  6. present — the time now
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rash — hasty
  9. staff — employees
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — a cup
  12. rash — a series
  13. bass — low music
  14. mug — to rob
  15. field — farmland
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. staff — a stick
  18. capital — a city
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. field — for sport
  21. bass — the fish
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. staff — employees

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