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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. field — farmland
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. chair — a leader
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. firm — steady
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to sink
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. field — for sport
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. firm — a company
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. field — a subject
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bear — the animal
  22. firm — decided
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bear — the animal

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