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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  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. current — of water
  2. ground — a position
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. current — happening now
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. tube — a container
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. ground — the earth
  16. current — electric
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. field — a subject
  19. date — the fruit
  20. pitch — completely
  21. tube — the underground
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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