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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. fall — the season
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bass — the fish
  5. rock — a stone
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rock — music
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. scale — in music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bass — low music
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. scale — size or range
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bore — to drill
  24. scale — for weighing

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