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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. mug — to rob
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. rock — music
  9. mug — a face
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. field — for sport
  13. rock — a stone
  14. last — final
  15. stock — shares
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. stock — goods
  18. field — farmland
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — a phone
  22. snap — to click
  23. cell — in biology
  24. field — a subject

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