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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. field — for sport
  3. bass — low music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. net — in sport
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. field — farmland
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bass — the fish
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. field — a subject
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. net — after costs
  17. cap — a lid
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bark — to shout
  20. net — for catching
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a hat
  23. tube — a container
  24. bass — the instrument

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