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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. field — for sport
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bass — low music
  8. present — a gift
  9. mine — for digging
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. present — the time now
  13. spring — the season
  14. bass — the fish
  15. game — a match
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. field — farmland
  20. present — there
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. field — a subject
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bowl — to roll

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