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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. degree — temperature
  4. field — a subject
  5. face — part of the head
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. can — a tin
  8. degree — an amount
  9. face — to point toward
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. degree — from a university
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. field — for sport
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. face — to confront
  23. can — a tin
  24. field — farmland

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