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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. tube — a container
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. field — for sport
  10. tube — the underground
  11. field — farmland
  12. stand — to bear
  13. clip — to cut
  14. date — the fruit
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. clip — for paper
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. clip — a video
  20. wax — to grow
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. hide — to keep secret

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