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: rash · pop · safe · field · stick · cue · squash · spell

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rash — hasty
  3. field — a subject
  4. rash — a series
  5. field — for sport
  6. pop — music
  7. cue — for pool
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. field — farmland
  10. spell — a short time
  11. cue — a hint
  12. squash — the sport
  13. spell — letters
  14. pop — to visit
  15. spell — magic
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. pop — soda
  19. cue — a signal
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. safe — out of danger

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