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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. field — for sport
  3. present — a gift
  4. field — a subject
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. present — the time now
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. row — to paddle
  10. hand — in cards
  11. field — farmland
  12. hand — help
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. present — there
  18. bulb — for light
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bulb — for light
  22. squash — the sport
  23. row — a line
  24. hand — part of the body

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