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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. pop — to visit
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. pop — music
  7. field — a subject
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. kick — in football
  10. pop — soda
  11. snap — to click
  12. season — of the year
  13. ball — a dance
  14. season — in sport
  15. bound — tied together
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bound — certain
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bound — obliged
  24. ball — a great time

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