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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. spring — the season
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. lie — to recline
  6. field — a subject
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. content — the amount
  9. foot — a measure
  10. spring — of water
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. content — happy
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. rock — a stone
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. spring — a coil
  18. field — for sport
  19. rush — hurry
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rock — music
  23. field — farmland
  24. patient — a sick person

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