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: hand · field · spell · season · cap · date · pop · bulb

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. spell — magic
  3. date — the fruit
  4. field — for sport
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. field — a subject
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pop — music
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. spell — a short time
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — to visit
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. season — in sport
  18. hand — help
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cap — a lid
  22. field — farmland
  23. season — of the year
  24. spell — letters

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