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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. field — a subject
  3. spring — a coil
  4. net — for catching
  5. spring — of water
  6. field — farmland
  7. spring — the season
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. suit — to fit
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. suit — clothes
  14. net — in sport
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. net — after costs
  17. scale — size or range
  18. mark — a trace
  19. scale — in music
  20. ground — a position
  21. mark — a grade
  22. ground — crushed
  23. field — for sport
  24. suit — in cards

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