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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: can · wind · stick · ground · date · bear · kid · field

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bear — the animal
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. ground — a position
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. field — a subject
  9. date — the fruit
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. field — farmland
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. can — a tin
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. ground — the earth
  17. kid — child
  18. bear — the animal
  19. field — for sport
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. can — a tin
  23. kid — to tease
  24. ground — crushed

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