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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. swing — to play on
  5. deal — to handle
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. field — a subject
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. field — farmland
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — to bend
  15. file — a document
  16. field — for sport
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. lean — thin
  24. file — a tool

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