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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. field — farmland
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. band — a ring
  5. cell — in biology
  6. degree — an amount
  7. rule — a law
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — a permit
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. field — for sport
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. degree — temperature
  18. band — a music group
  19. field — a subject
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. scale — in music
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rule — government

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