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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. scale — in music
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bore — to drill
  5. field — for sport
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pop — soda
  9. chip — to eat
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. field — a subject
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pop — to visit
  14. hand — help
  15. rash — a series
  16. scale — size or range
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bore — to tire
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. pop — music
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. scale — for weighing

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