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: wake · bulb · field · deal · rash · clip · game · fork

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fork — in a road
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. field — farmland
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bulb — for light
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. field — for sport
  12. clip — a video
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — to cut
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. deal — to handle
  21. rash — a series
  22. bulb — for light
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. rash — hasty

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