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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cell — in biology
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. field — farmland
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. current — electric
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. row — a line
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — for betting
  15. face — to point toward
  16. cell — a phone
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. row — to paddle
  19. chip — to eat
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. current — happening now
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. current — of water
  24. face — to confront

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