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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. pass — a permit
  3. land — a country
  4. club — for golf
  5. land — ground
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. field — farmland
  9. degree — an amount
  10. field — a subject
  11. present — the time now
  12. club — for dancing
  13. degree — temperature
  14. club — a group
  15. row — a line
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. degree — from a university
  18. field — for sport
  19. present — there
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. row — to paddle
  22. land — to come down
  23. present — a gift
  24. tube — a container

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