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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. fine — high quality
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. field — a subject
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. fine — all right
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bowl — a football final

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