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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. spell — magic
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. field — farmland
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. field — for sport
  7. prune — to trim
  8. current — of water
  9. can — to be able to
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cell — a phone
  12. field — a subject
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. drill — a practice
  16. cell — in biology
  17. spring — the season
  18. drill — army training
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. current — electric
  22. spell — a short time
  23. drill — the tool
  24. spell — letters

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