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 116 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. land — to come down
  5. firm — a company
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pop — music
  8. field — a subject
  9. firm — steady
  10. land — ground
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pop — soda
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. land — a country
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a document
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. file — a tool

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