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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. current — of water
  3. field — for sport
  4. club — for golf
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. current — electric
  7. foot — a measure
  8. club — a group
  9. can — to be able to
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. current — happening now
  14. bat — the animal
  15. fork — in a road
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. club — for dancing
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. can — a tin

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