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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — for dancing
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. saw — the tool
  8. club — a group
  9. saw — the tool
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. clip — a video
  12. degree — an amount
  13. mug — to rob
  14. clip — for paper
  15. mug — a cup
  16. degree — from a university
  17. field — a subject
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. field — for sport
  21. degree — temperature
  22. mug — a face
  23. sharp — clever
  24. clip — to cut

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