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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — farmland
  3. staff — a stick
  4. spell — a short time
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. spell — magic
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. track — a song
  9. staff — employees
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. stem — to come from
  12. saw — the tool
  13. deal — to handle
  14. staff — employees
  15. saw — the tool
  16. spell — letters
  17. rush — hurry
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. track — a path
  20. field — for sport
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. track — to keep track

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