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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. field — a subject
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — a match
  6. bound — certain
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bound — tied together
  9. stock — goods
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. game — wild animals
  12. current — of water
  13. stock — shares
  14. current — happening now
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. pitch — completely
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bound — obliged
  22. current — electric
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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