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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rest — what's left
  4. field — a subject
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — for paper
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. root — of a word
  10. board — a committee
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. rest — what's left
  13. root — the cause
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rest — a break
  16. field — farmland
  17. snap — to click
  18. craft — boats
  19. clip — a video
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — to get on
  22. root — of a plant
  23. field — for sport
  24. craft — a skill

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