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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. field — farmland
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bound — obliged
  7. pop — soda
  8. band — a ring
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. net — in sport
  11. stock — shares
  12. pop — to visit
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pop — music
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. degree — from a university
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. field — a subject
  21. bound — certain
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. field — for sport
  24. stock — goods

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