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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pop — to visit
  3. ground — crushed
  4. pit — in a race
  5. last — finally
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. pop — soda
  9. stem — to come from
  10. ball — a great time
  11. field — a subject
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pop — music
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — government
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. last — to go on
  19. rule — a law
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. last — final
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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