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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. pop — soda
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. ball — a dance
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. file — a line of people
  7. pop — music
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. field — farmland
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a great time
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. pop — to visit
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. field — a subject
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. leaves — of a tree

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