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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. field — farmland
  3. net — for catching
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. field — for sport
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. ball — a great time
  12. toast — bread
  13. tear — to rip
  14. field — a subject
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fall — the season
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. bulb — for light
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bulb — for light

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