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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. board — a committee
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. degree — temperature
  9. field — for sport
  10. march — the month
  11. net — in sport
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. field — farmland
  14. squash — the sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. pass — a permit
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. march — the month
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. march — music
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. wax — to grow
  24. squash — to crush

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