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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. field — a subject
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. fine — all right
  7. rush — hurry
  8. clip — to cut
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. chip — to eat
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — high quality
  14. chip — for betting
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. field — for sport
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  24. field — farmland

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