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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: branch · race · season · band · bound · court · can · field

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. can — a tin
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — a division
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. bound — certain
  8. band — a music group
  9. court — of a king
  10. season — of the year
  11. race — humankind
  12. bound — obliged
  13. field — for sport
  14. bound — tied together
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. can — a tin
  18. field — a subject
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. can — to be able to
  21. season — in sport
  22. race — a contest
  23. field — farmland
  24. band — a ring

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