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 120 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. ground — a position
  3. field — a subject
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. snap — to click
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rush — hurry
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. field — farmland
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. field — for sport

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