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 120 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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. field — farmland
  5. file — a line of people
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. tear — to rip
  8. hand — in cards
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. field — for sport
  12. bulb — for light
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. hand — help
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bulb — for light
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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