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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cue — a hint
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. field — for sport
  10. cold — an illness
  11. fork — in a road
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. field — farmland
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cold — not warm
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. lean — thin
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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