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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. wake — a trail
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. tear — to rip
  6. field — a subject
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — to bend
  10. season — of the year
  11. tear — from crying
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. field — for sport
  15. tear — from crying
  16. field — farmland
  17. deal — to handle
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. lean — thin
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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