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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. field — farmland
  3. present — there
  4. present — a gift
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. kid — child
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. bass — low music
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pass — a permit
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bear — the animal
  18. date — the fruit
  19. kid — to tease
  20. present — the time now
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. roll — a list

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