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 120 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. snap — to click
  3. club — for dancing
  4. field — a subject
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. field — for sport
  9. ball — a dance
  10. tear — to rip
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. stand — to bear
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — of water
  18. field — farmland
  19. chip — for betting
  20. club — a group
  21. current — electric
  22. chip — to eat
  23. ball — a great time
  24. club — for golf

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