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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. degree — temperature
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. degree — from a university
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. field — a subject
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. saw — the tool
  10. field — for sport
  11. march — the month
  12. saw — the tool
  13. degree — an amount
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pop — soda
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pop — music
  20. date — the fruit
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. field — farmland
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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