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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pop — music
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. shower — rain
  7. pop — to visit
  8. field — a subject
  9. game — wild animals
  10. field — for sport
  11. season — in sport
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — steady
  14. pop — soda
  15. game — a match
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. wound — an injury
  19. field — farmland
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. shower — to wash
  23. season — of the year
  24. firm — a company

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