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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. club — a group
  3. charge — electricity
  4. field — for sport
  5. clip — a video
  6. charge — a price
  7. clip — for paper
  8. track — a path
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. club — for dancing
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. field — farmland
  18. club — for golf
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. clip — to cut
  21. charge — in control
  22. can — a tin
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bowl — to roll

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