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: wind · key · field · season · date · bowl · deal · chair

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. key — the most important part
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. season — in sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. field — for sport
  16. wind — moving air
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chair — a leader
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. deal — to handle
  23. season — of the year
  24. deal — an agreement

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