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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. chip — to eat
  3. field — for sport
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. hand — help
  6. chip — for betting
  7. field — a subject
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. tear — from crying
  11. hand — in cards
  12. mark — a grade
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. tear — from crying
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mark — a trace
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. field — farmland
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — a measure
  22. sharp — clever
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. tear — to rip

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