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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. hand — in cards
  3. scale — size or range
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rock — a stone
  8. field — a subject
  9. chip — to eat
  10. mine — for digging
  11. scale — in music
  12. hand — help
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. chip — for betting
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. sharp — clever
  19. field — farmland
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rock — 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