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: cabinet · race · date · band · pass · squash · field · rule

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. date — the fruit
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. race — a contest
  6. field — farmland
  7. race — the arms race
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. field — for sport
  14. squash — the sport
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pass — a permit
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — a law
  23. race — humankind
  24. rule — to rule out

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