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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. pound — a weight
  3. cell — a phone
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. squash — the sport
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. field — for sport
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. chest — of your body
  12. season — in sport
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. field — farmland
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. spell — letters
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. spell — magic
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. season — of the year
  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