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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. field — for sport
  3. tube — the underground
  4. current — of water
  5. field — a subject
  6. kid — child
  7. field — farmland
  8. current — happening now
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. stand — to bear
  14. tube — a container
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. current — electric
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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