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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. object — to protest
  4. ball — a dance
  5. object — an aim
  6. cue — a signal
  7. ball — a great time
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. field — for sport
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. dip — to sink
  13. kid — child
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. field — a subject
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. object — a thing
  18. roll — a cake
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. kid — to tease
  21. field — farmland
  22. roll — a list
  23. cue — for pool
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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