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: tear · cap · fine · content · season · bulb · net · field

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. tear — from crying
  3. season — of the year
  4. net — in sport
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cap — of ice
  7. fine — all right
  8. content — the amount
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. field — a subject
  12. content — happy
  13. tear — to rip
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. field — for sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — a lid
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. field — farmland

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