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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — happy
  6. key — for a lock
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. snap — to click
  9. row — a line
  10. key — in music
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. can — to be able to
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. field — farmland
  17. row — to paddle
  18. field — a subject
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. can — a tin
  22. key — the most important part
  23. can — a tin
  24. pass — a permit

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