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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. mate — a partner
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mate — a friend
  6. firm — decided
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hand — help
  9. firm — a company
  10. roll — a list
  11. firm — steady
  12. drill — the tool
  13. field — for sport
  14. stand — to bear
  15. field — farmland
  16. roll — a cake
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. drill — army training
  19. prune — to trim
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. field — a subject
  24. mate — to breed

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