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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. field — a subject
  7. pop — soda
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. field — farmland
  10. pop — music
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. root — of a word
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. root — the cause
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. root — of a plant
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. field — for sport
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pop — to visit

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