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: drill · field · capital · bowl · coach · stem · stock · racket

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. field — a subject
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. drill — army training
  7. stock — shares
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. stock — goods
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stem — to come from
  17. capital — a city
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. drill — a practice
  20. field — farmland
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. field — for sport
  24. drill — the tool

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