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: degree · bat · board · field · bore · vault · band · sharp

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. degree — an amount
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — a safe
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. field — farmland
  7. sharp — clever
  8. field — for sport
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. field — a subject
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. band — a ring
  15. degree — from a university
  16. band — a music group
  17. board — to get on
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bore — to drill
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. degree — temperature
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bore — gave birth

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