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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. field — farmland
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. spring — of water
  8. field — a subject
  9. season — of the year
  10. spring — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fall — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. field — for sport
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. dip — to sink
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. season — in sport

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