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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. shower — to wash
  5. sharp — clever
  6. field — for sport
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. present — a gift
  11. bear — the animal
  12. land — to come down
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. land — a country
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — there
  17. row — to paddle
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. field — farmland
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. field — a subject
  22. land — ground
  23. row — a line
  24. shower — rain

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