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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. field — for sport
  3. content — the amount
  4. stock — goods
  5. content — happy
  6. game — wild animals
  7. field — farmland
  8. squash — to crush
  9. game — a match
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bank — for money
  12. bound — tied together
  13. squash — the sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bass — low music
  18. stock — shares
  19. bound — certain
  20. bank — of a river
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bank — for money

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