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: straw · field · present · bark · shower · temple · fan · jam

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. shower — to wash
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. field — a subject
  5. present — there
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. present — a gift
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. shower — rain
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. field — farmland
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. field — for sport
  20. present — the time now
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bark — to shout
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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