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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. field — a subject
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. field — for sport
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. pit — a hole
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. track — a song
  9. charge — in control
  10. track — to keep track
  11. cold — an illness
  12. track — a path
  13. pit — in a race
  14. field — farmland
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. sharp — clever
  17. charge — electricity
  18. current — of water
  19. current — happening now
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. charge — a price
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. current — electric

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