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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. cell — in biology
  4. wound — an injury
  5. field — for sport
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. roll — a cake
  13. bulb — for light
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. bulb — for light
  23. snap — to click
  24. jam — in traffic

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