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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. fine — high quality
  6. spring — a coil
  7. fall — to drop
  8. degree — from a university
  9. field — a subject
  10. fall — the season
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. field — farmland
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. degree — an amount
  15. field — for sport
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fine — all right
  19. degree — temperature
  20. hand — in cards
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. fall — to drop

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