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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. stock — goods
  3. field — a subject
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. swing — to play on
  7. file — a document
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. ground — a position
  11. field — for sport
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. file — a tool
  14. ground — crushed
  15. swing — music
  16. plane — a tool
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. field — farmland
  19. ground — the earth
  20. stock — shares
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. file — a line of people
  23. swing — in golf
  24. plane — an aircraft

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