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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. field — a subject
  3. pop — soda
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. bulb — for light
  8. chest — of your body
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. field — for sport
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. chest — of your body
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. track — a path
  18. field — farmland
  19. track — to keep track
  20. fork — in a road
  21. chest — a box
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. hand — help

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