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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cue — a hint
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. field — for sport
  6. cue — a signal
  7. prune — to trim
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. foot — a measure
  13. row — to paddle
  14. field — a subject
  15. capital — money
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. row — a line
  18. sharp — clever
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. craft — boats
  21. prune — to trim
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. cue — for pool
  24. craft — a skill

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