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 120 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: band · pop · field · land · pit · season · cabinet · wave

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. field — farmland
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pit — a hole
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. field — for sport
  8. pit — in a race
  9. band — a music group
  10. season — in sport
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. land — a country
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. land — to come down
  15. pop — soda
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. field — a subject
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. land — ground
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. pop — music
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wave — with your hand

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