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 116 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: bat · wind · key · content · field · bear · stand · rush

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. content — the amount
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. stand — to bear
  7. wind — moving air
  8. content — happy
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — in music
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. key — for a lock
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. field — a subject
  23. wind — moving air
  24. field — farmland

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