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: mug · ball · rush · can · field · date · wake · clip

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. field — a subject
  3. ball — a great time
  4. field — farmland
  5. rush — hurry
  6. field — for sport
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wake — a trail
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. mug — a cup
  12. can — to be able to
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. ball — a dance
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. clip — for paper
  22. mug — to rob
  23. can — a tin
  24. mug — a face

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