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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. swing — in golf
  6. cue — for pool
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. band — a ring
  9. cue — a hint
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. field — farmland
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. plane — a tool
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. toast — bread
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. sharp — clever
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. band — a music group
  24. swing — music

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