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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cue — a signal
  3. row — to paddle
  4. field — farmland
  5. row — a line
  6. field — a subject
  7. cue — a hint
  8. mate — to breed
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bound — certain
  13. wound — an injury
  14. content — happy
  15. bound — obliged
  16. content — the amount
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. wound — an injury
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. dip — to sink
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bound — tied together
  23. mate — a partner
  24. dip — a sauce

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