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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. prune — to trim
  3. field — a subject
  4. face — to confront
  5. ball — a dance
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. field — farmland
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. face — part of the head
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — for pool
  13. face — to point toward
  14. rule — a law
  15. perch — the fish
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rule — government
  22. field — for sport
  23. prune — to trim
  24. perch — for a bird

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