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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. field — for sport
  3. cue — a hint
  4. net — after costs
  5. cue — a signal
  6. field — a subject
  7. branch — a division
  8. game — a match
  9. net — in sport
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. net — for catching
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cue — for pool
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — in a race
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. field — farmland
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. game — wild animals

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