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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. fine — all right
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. field — farmland
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bass — low music
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bass — the fish
  15. rash — a series
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. squash — the sport
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. squash — to crush
  20. fine — high quality
  21. lie — to recline
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. lie — an untruth

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