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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fine — high quality
  3. rash — a series
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. charge — electricity
  8. sharp — clever
  9. pit — a hole
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fine — all right
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. rash — hasty
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. pit — in a race
  21. fall — to drop
  22. charge — in control
  23. charge — a price
  24. field — a subject

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