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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. field — farmland
  4. tear — to rip
  5. spell — a short time
  6. field — for sport
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. tear — from crying
  9. field — a subject
  10. swing — in golf
  11. hand — help
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. spell — letters
  14. swing — to play on
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. date — the fruit
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. hand — in cards
  22. spell — magic
  23. wake — a trail
  24. rock — music

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