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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. pass — a permit
  4. stock — goods
  5. content — happy
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. season — in sport
  8. stock — shares
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rash — a series
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. present — there
  13. field — a subject
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. present — a gift
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. content — the amount
  23. present — the time now
  24. field — farmland

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