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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. present — a gift
  3. land — to come down
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. field — for sport
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. land — ground
  11. field — a subject
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. content — the amount
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. present — there
  20. field — farmland
  21. present — the time now
  22. content — happy
  23. land — a country
  24. bat — the animal

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