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: mate · rash · tube · squash · spell · stick · land · field

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rash — a series
  3. squash — to crush
  4. field — for sport
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tube — a container
  7. mate — to breed
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. spell — letters
  11. mate — a friend
  12. land — a country
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mate — a partner
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. spell — a short time
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. spell — magic
  24. squash — the sport

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