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 124 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. field — a subject
  3. can — a tin
  4. court — of law
  5. field — for sport
  6. can — a tin
  7. bass — low music
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. court — for sport
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lean — thin
  21. field — farmland
  22. spring — a coil
  23. mate — a partner
  24. court — of a king

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