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: land · row · pop · field · fork · squash · dip · march

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. land — to come down
  4. march — the month
  5. fork — in a road
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pop — music
  8. field — for sport
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pop — to visit
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — the sport
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. row — a line
  16. land — a country
  17. row — to paddle
  18. dip — to sink
  19. land — ground
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. pop — soda
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — a subject

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