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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. drill — army training
  4. prune — to trim
  5. key — for a lock
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wax — to grow
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. key — in music
  12. field — for sport
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. squash — the sport
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. field — farmland
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. key — the most important part
  19. drill — the tool
  20. chip — to eat
  21. drill — a practice
  22. squash — to crush
  23. chip — for betting
  24. wax — for sculpting

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