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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. degree — an amount
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. charge — in control
  7. game — a match
  8. degree — temperature
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. charge — electricity
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. degree — from a university
  13. field — for sport
  14. charge — a price
  15. field — farmland
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — government

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