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: content · ball · firm · land · field · bark · stick · tear

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. firm — steady
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. field — for sport
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. land — a country
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — farmland
  12. firm — a company
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. tear — from crying
  16. ball — a great time
  17. content — the amount
  18. land — to come down
  19. tear — to rip
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — to shout
  23. content — happy
  24. firm — decided

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