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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. field — a subject
  4. pound — a weight
  5. field — farmland
  6. bass — low music
  7. firm — a company
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bass — the fish
  11. board — to get on
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. firm — decided
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. content — the amount
  17. kid — to tease
  18. board — a committee
  19. firm — steady
  20. kid — child
  21. field — for sport
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. content — happy

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