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

Word bank: bowl · rest · bear · swing · sharp · snap · field · rash

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. field — farmland
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bear — the animal
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. field — a subject
  8. swing — music
  9. rash — hasty
  10. snap — to click
  11. sharp — clever
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. rash — a series
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. field — for sport
  21. rest — what's left
  22. swing — to play on
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. rest — a break

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