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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. prune — to trim
  5. field — a subject
  6. game — a match
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. band — a ring
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. rash — hasty
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. field — farmland
  15. game — wild animals
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. wound — an injury
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. prune — to trim
  21. band — a music group
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rash — a series
  24. game — a kind of play

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