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 120 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 got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. field — farmland
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. snap — to click
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. saw — the tool
  9. present — there
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. field — for sport
  15. dip — to sink
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. field — a subject
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. present — the time now
  20. mark — a trace
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. present — a gift
  24. saw — the 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