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 university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mug — to rob
  3. field — a subject
  4. root — of a word
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. field — for sport
  7. bark — to shout
  8. root — the cause
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. degree — temperature
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. mug — a cup
  16. field — farmland
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mug — a face
  19. degree — an amount
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. pitch — completely
  23. root — of a plant
  24. pitch — a sports field

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