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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — the fruit
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — a subject
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. field — for sport
  9. ball — a dance
  10. cold — an illness
  11. ball — a great time
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. face — to confront
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — a stone
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. face — to point toward
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rock — music
  22. cold — not warm
  23. face — part of the head
  24. pitch — completely

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