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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. face — to point toward
  4. field — for sport
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in biology
  7. field — a subject
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. face — part of the head
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. band — a music group
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to bend
  16. field — farmland
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — in a race
  19. face — to confront
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. band — a ring
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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