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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bear — the animal
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. field — a subject
  6. pop — soda
  7. bear — the animal
  8. field — farmland
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. ball — a great time
  13. chair — a leader
  14. spring — the season
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. spring — of water
  17. field — for sport
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. spring — a coil
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. pop — to visit
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pop — 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