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: field · bore · deal · swing · march · current · tear · band

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. band — a music group
  3. field — a subject
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. current — happening now
  10. deal — to handle
  11. swing — music
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. field — for sport
  14. tear — to rip
  15. field — farmland
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bore — to tire
  19. band — a ring
  20. bore — to drill
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. deal — a big deal

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