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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bound — obliged
  4. field — farmland
  5. bulb — for light
  6. field — a subject
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. chest — a box
  9. bound — certain
  10. field — for sport
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. chest — of your body
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. mine — for digging
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bound — tied together
  22. charge — electricity
  23. charge — in control
  24. patient — a sick person

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