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: field · lean · file · squash · fork · net · degree · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. fork — in a road
  3. net — for catching
  4. field — a subject
  5. squash — the sport
  6. file — a document
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. file — a line of people
  10. last — final
  11. field — farmland
  12. file — a tool
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. last — finally
  16. degree — from a university
  17. lean — to bend
  18. field — for sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. net — in sport
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. squash — to crush
  23. net — after costs
  24. lean — thin

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