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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. cap — a lid
  5. board — to get on
  6. rest — a break
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. date — the fruit
  9. cap — of ice
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. squash — the sport
  12. cap — a hat
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. field — for sport
  18. board — a committee
  19. mug — to rob
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. squash — to crush
  22. mug — a face
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — a tool

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