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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. race — a contest
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. ball — a great time
  5. rock — music
  6. race — humankind
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pound — a weight
  9. field — farmland
  10. ball — a dance
  11. mark — a trace
  12. degree — an amount
  13. field — for sport
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. field — a subject
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — from a university
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rock — a stone
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a grade
  24. race — the arms race

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