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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. game — a match
  3. field — for sport
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. field — a subject
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. toast — bread
  14. game — wild animals
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. fork — in a road
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. field — farmland
  24. racket — for tennis

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