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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. court — of law
  4. court — for sport
  5. present — a gift
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. game — a match
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — clever
  11. present — the time now
  12. court — of a king
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. field — farmland
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. lie — to recline
  17. vault — a safe
  18. prune — to trim
  19. present — there
  20. game — wild animals
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. field — for sport

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