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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. shower — to wash
  4. scale — size or range
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — electricity
  7. spring — a coil
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. shower — rain
  11. spring — the season
  12. bat — the animal
  13. pitch — completely
  14. scale — in music
  15. spring — of water
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. charge — in control
  24. field — for sport

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