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 120 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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. kick — in football
  5. field — farmland
  6. scale — size or range
  7. court — of law
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wound — an injury
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. game — wild animals
  15. field — a subject
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. scale — in music
  18. game — a match
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  24. wound — an injury

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