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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mine — for digging
  3. root — of a word
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. current — of water
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. root — of a plant
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. field — farmland
  12. current — happening now
  13. field — for sport
  14. current — electric
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. season — of the year
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. root — the cause
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — in sport
  24. field — a subject

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