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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — a subject
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. squash — the sport
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. game — a match
  15. rock — music
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. squash — to crush
  18. game — wild animals
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. rock — a stone
  21. spring — the season
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. spring — of water

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