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 116 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. net — for catching
  4. race — a contest
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. key — for a lock
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. field — a subject
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. net — after costs
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. race — the arms race
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. club — for golf
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. key — the most important part
  19. net — in sport
  20. club — a group
  21. field — farmland
  22. key — in music
  23. club — for dancing
  24. race — humankind

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