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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. roll — a cake
  3. field — for sport
  4. rush — hurry
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. spell — letters
  8. mug — to rob
  9. rule — government
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — a measure
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. mug — a face
  18. roll — a list
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mug — a cup
  21. spell — a short time
  22. field — a subject
  23. mark — a trace
  24. spell — magic

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