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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. field — for sport
  7. pitch — completely
  8. lean — thin
  9. field — farmland
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. lean — to bend
  12. field — a subject
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pass — a permit
  21. sharp — clever
  22. date — the fruit
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. bowl — a dish

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