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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. field — for sport
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. cap — a lid
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cap — a hat
  9. field — a subject
  10. race — humankind
  11. content — happy
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. content — the amount
  14. rush — hurry
  15. race — a contest
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. stock — shares
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. race — the arms race
  22. stock — goods
  23. cap — of ice
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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