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: stick · chest · stand · craft · current · cabinet · field · shower

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. field — a subject
  3. craft — boats
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. craft — a skill
  6. current — of water
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. chest — of your body
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. chest — of your body
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. shower — to wash
  14. current — happening now
  15. shower — rain
  16. current — electric
  17. chest — a box
  18. field — farmland
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. field — for sport
  24. stand — to bear

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