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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. squash — to crush
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. march — the month
  7. craft — a skill
  8. march — the month
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. field — farmland
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. degree — an amount
  15. field — a subject
  16. craft — boats
  17. field — for sport
  18. degree — temperature
  19. wake — a trail
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. degree — from a university
  24. march — music

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