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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. present — a gift
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — a group
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. spring — a coil
  12. lean — thin
  13. kick — in football
  14. present — there
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. present — the time now
  17. field — farmland
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. spring — the season
  20. field — a subject
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. club — for dancing
  23. spring — of water
  24. chair — a leader

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