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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rock — music
  3. race — a contest
  4. fall — the season
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. net — for catching
  7. race — the arms race
  8. field — farmland
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — for golf
  12. field — a subject
  13. club — a group
  14. race — humankind
  15. field — for sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. net — in sport

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