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 120 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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. field — a subject
  5. wound — an injury
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — decided
  9. field — farmland
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. season — in sport
  13. wound — an injury
  14. field — for sport
  15. mine — for digging
  16. firm — a company
  17. deal — to handle
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pop — to visit
  21. season — of the year
  22. cue — for pool
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — music

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