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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. wind — moving air
  3. current — electric
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. game — a match
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. chip — to eat
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. season — of the year
  12. firm — a company
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wind — moving air
  15. current — happening now
  16. chip — for betting
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. firm — steady
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. current — of water
  21. firm — decided
  22. field — for sport
  23. game — wild animals
  24. chip — in a computer

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