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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. field — a subject
  4. stem — to come from
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. content — the amount
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mate — a partner
  13. field — farmland
  14. mate — a friend
  15. field — for sport
  16. content — happy
  17. mate — to breed
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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