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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. field — for sport
  3. fine — high quality
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rule — government
  6. fine — all right
  7. field — farmland
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. file — a document
  10. content — happy
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. file — a line of people
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rule — a law
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. file — a tool
  18. content — the amount
  19. field — a subject
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — in a race
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. hand — in cards

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