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

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. tear — from crying
  4. net — after costs
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. field — farmland
  7. firm — a company
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. net — for catching
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. tear — from crying
  12. net — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. capital — money
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. firm — decided
  17. field — for sport
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. field — a subject
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. season — in sport
  22. tear — to rip
  23. firm — steady
  24. capital — a city

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