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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. tear — to rip
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. squash — to crush
  7. rash — hasty
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. rash — a series
  12. stem — to come from
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. field — a subject
  16. tear — from crying
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. rule — government
  20. pit — a hole
  21. field — for sport
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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