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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. field — farmland
  3. swing — to play on
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. land — ground
  6. field — a subject
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. tear — from crying
  9. season — of the year
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. swing — music
  13. land — a country
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. tear — to rip
  17. season — in sport
  18. tear — from crying
  19. branch — a division
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. field — for sport
  22. swing — in golf
  23. land — to come down
  24. jam — in traffic

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