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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. field — farmland
  3. season — of the year
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. pop — soda
  6. fine — all right
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. field — a subject
  11. season — in sport
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. cold — not warm
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. pop — music
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. pop — to visit
  23. fine — high quality
  24. field — for sport

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