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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bore — to tire
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — a container
  6. field — a subject
  7. file — a document
  8. current — happening now
  9. file — a line of people
  10. net — after costs
  11. clip — to cut
  12. tube — the underground
  13. net — for catching
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — a grade
  16. current — electric
  17. clip — a video
  18. field — farmland
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. net — in sport
  21. file — a tool
  22. bore — to drill
  23. current — of water
  24. clip — for paper

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