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 116 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. rash — on the skin
  2. bound — certain
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. present — the time now
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. present — a gift
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. present — there
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bound — obliged
  12. field — farmland
  13. rash — hasty
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. field — for sport
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. scale — in music
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bark — to shout
  21. rash — a series
  22. bound — tied together
  23. scale — for weighing
  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