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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pop — music
  3. field — for sport
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. field — a subject
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. object — an aim
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. object — to protest
  14. wake — a trail
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. object — a thing
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. cue — for pool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. pop — soda
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pop — to visit
  24. field — farmland

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