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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bank — for money
  3. mark — a trace
  4. field — a subject
  5. cell — a phone
  6. toast — bread
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. mark — a grade
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bank — for money
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cell — in biology
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bank — of a river
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. field — for sport
  24. bass — the fish

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