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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. rule — government
  3. tube — the underground
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. field — for sport
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — a container
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. rule — a law
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — happy
  19. field — a subject
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. fan — to cool the air

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