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 120 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. spring — of water
  3. field — a subject
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. band — a ring
  7. season — in sport
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. season — of the year
  12. pit — a hole
  13. spring — a coil
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. band — a music group
  16. spring — the season
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bass — low music
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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