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 116 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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mate — a friend
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. content — happy
  7. ball — a dance
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. fall — the season
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. ball — a great time
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — the amount
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. field — a subject
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mate — to breed
  24. straw — a straw man

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