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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. pop — soda
  5. field — for sport
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pop — to visit
  10. chest — a box
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. mate — a partner
  13. cold — not warm
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pop — music
  16. dip — to sink
  17. field — a subject
  18. mate — to breed
  19. rush — hurry
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. field — farmland
  23. cold — an illness
  24. mate — a friend

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