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 116 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. field — for sport
  3. degree — an amount
  4. field — a subject
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fork — in a road
  7. net — in sport
  8. wind — moving air
  9. staff — employees
  10. net — for catching
  11. degree — from a university
  12. staff — employees
  13. field — farmland
  14. season — of the year
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. staff — a stick
  18. degree — temperature
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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