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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. field — for sport
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fine — all right
  5. face — to confront
  6. field — a subject
  7. object — a thing
  8. face — part of the head
  9. can — to be able to
  10. tear — to rip
  11. field — farmland
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. object — to protest
  16. object — an aim
  17. fine — high quality
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. face — to point toward
  24. jam — in traffic

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