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: spring · court · leaves · fall · land · bear · field · cabinet

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bear — the animal
  3. land — ground
  4. land — a country
  5. field — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bear — the animal
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fall — to drop
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. fall — the season
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. field — a subject
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. fall — to drop
  23. land — to come down
  24. cabinet — ministers

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