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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. clip — to cut
  5. content — the amount
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. field — a subject
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. tear — to rip
  12. field — for sport
  13. mark — a trace
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. ball — a dance
  16. clip — a video
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. rule — government
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rule — a law
  21. toast — bread
  22. mark — a grade
  23. content — happy
  24. mark — to pay attention

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