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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. field — farmland
  3. game — wild animals
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. game — a match
  6. scale — size or range
  7. pop — soda
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. suit — to fit
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. suit — clothes
  14. pop — music
  15. scale — in music
  16. band — a music group
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pop — to visit
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. field — for sport
  21. band — a ring
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. field — a subject
  24. suit — in cards

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