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 120 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. cap — of ice
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. bound — certain
  6. board — to get on
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cap — a hat
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. net — after costs
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. net — in sport
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. deal — to handle
  17. cap — a lid
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. clip — a video
  20. field — farmland
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. clip — to cut
  23. wax — to grow
  24. board — a committee

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