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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — for sport
  3. stem — to come from
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. firm — steady
  9. board — a committee
  10. key — the most important part
  11. tube — a container
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. firm — a company
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. board — to get on
  17. firm — decided
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. field — a subject
  20. tube — the underground
  21. wind — moving air
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — in music
  24. board — a flat piece

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