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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. field — farmland
  6. capital — a city
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. scale — size or range
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. rest — what's left
  13. perch — the fish
  14. rest — a break
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rest — what's left
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a ring
  21. scale — in music
  22. squash — the sport
  23. kick — in football
  24. perch — for a bird

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