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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. board — to get on
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. perch — the fish
  15. field — a subject
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. tube — a container
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cold — not warm
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. cold — an illness
  24. field — farmland

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