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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. field — for sport
  4. can — a tin
  5. field — farmland
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. swing — to play on
  8. can — a tin
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — a phone
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. can — to be able to
  16. lie — to recline
  17. toast — bread
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. field — a subject
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. bulb — for light
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bulb — for light

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