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: bay · fall · bear · present · date · field · hand · spell

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. hand — help
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bear — the animal
  9. field — farmland
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. present — the time now
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. spell — magic
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. hand — in cards
  19. present — there
  20. spell — letters
  21. fall — to drop
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bear — the animal
  24. present — a gift

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