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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. staff — employees
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. field — for sport
  5. race — humankind
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — a contest
  9. date — the fruit
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. sharp — clever
  15. staff — employees
  16. cap — a lid
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cap — of ice
  19. squash — to crush
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. pitch — completely
  23. field — a subject
  24. cap — a hat

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