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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. court — of law
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bore — to tire
  6. stem — to come from
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. roll — a cake
  9. field — farmland
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. court — of a king
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. court — for sport
  17. toast — bread
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bat — the animal
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. roll — a list

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