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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a dance
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. firm — a company
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. bat — the animal
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. net — after costs
  12. field — farmland
  13. spell — letters
  14. net — for catching
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. degree — from a university
  17. spell — a short time
  18. firm — steady
  19. degree — an amount
  20. spell — magic
  21. firm — decided
  22. net — in sport
  23. degree — temperature
  24. ball — a great time

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