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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. club — for golf
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fine — high quality
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. field — for sport
  9. chest — a box
  10. field — farmland
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. stand — to bear
  13. snap — to click
  14. date — the fruit
  15. club — for dancing
  16. chest — of your body
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. field — a subject
  21. club — a group
  22. fine — all right
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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