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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. field — a subject
  3. band — a ring
  4. field — farmland
  5. cap — of ice
  6. march — the month
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. cap — a hat
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. deal — to handle
  13. cap — a lid
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. field — for sport
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. march — music
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. chip — for betting
  20. can — a tin
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pitch — completely
  23. band — a music group
  24. march — the month

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