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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. field — for sport
  3. branch — a division
  4. squash — the sport
  5. pitch — completely
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. fall — the season
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. current — happening now
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. current — of water
  16. bound — tied together
  17. squash — to crush
  18. field — farmland
  19. current — electric
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. fall — to drop
  22. field — a subject
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. ground — a position

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