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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. shower — rain
  3. pop — to visit
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pop — music
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pop — soda
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. field — a subject
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. prune — to trim
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. field — for sport
  19. shower — to wash
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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