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 120 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: cabinet · plane · march · field · present · saw · bear · tube

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. present — a gift
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. present — the time now
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. march — the month
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. field — farmland
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. tube — a container
  13. field — for sport
  14. march — the month
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. tube — the underground
  22. present — there
  23. march — music
  24. plane — a tool

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