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: rock · jam · field · mate · fall · straw · spell · race

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. spell — magic
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. race — humankind
  6. fall — to drop
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. fall — the season
  10. spell — a short time
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. spell — letters
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. field — farmland
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — a friend
  20. race — a contest
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. race — the arms race
  24. fall — to drop

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