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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. fork — in a road
  3. field — a subject
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. lean — thin
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bat — the animal
  10. toast — bread
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bulb — for light
  20. field — for sport
  21. lean — to bend
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. field — farmland
  24. bulb — of a plant

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