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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. charge — electricity
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fall — the season
  5. charge — in control
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — farmland
  10. fine — high quality
  11. race — humankind
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bass — low music
  15. race — the arms race
  16. charge — a price
  17. field — for sport
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bass — the fish
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — completely
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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