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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. track — a path
  4. field — for sport
  5. track — to keep track
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. face — part of the head
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. field — a subject
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rash — hasty
  12. dip — to sink
  13. face — to confront
  14. track — a song
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bulb — for light
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rash — a series
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mine — for digging
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. face — to point toward

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