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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. bound — tied together
  4. tube — the underground
  5. kid — child
  6. staff — employees
  7. land — a country
  8. staff — a stick
  9. chest — a box
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. chest — of your body
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bound — obliged
  14. field — a subject
  15. staff — employees
  16. bound — certain
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. chest — of your body
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. land — to come down
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. land — ground

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