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: season · date · shower · mug · charge · current · coach · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. current — of water
  3. season — in sport
  4. mug — a cup
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. season — of the year
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. charge — a price
  9. field — for sport
  10. current — happening now
  11. shower — to wash
  12. charge — in control
  13. shower — rain
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. charge — electricity
  16. mug — a face
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mug — to rob
  22. field — a subject
  23. current — electric
  24. date — the fruit

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