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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. mug — to rob
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. land — ground
  6. deal — to handle
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. mug — a face
  9. present — a gift
  10. file — a line of people
  11. field — a subject
  12. file — a document
  13. field — farmland
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bass — low music
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. present — there
  18. bass — the fish
  19. present — the time now
  20. field — for sport
  21. land — a country
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. file — a tool
  24. mug — a cup

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