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: object · bowl · field · fork · tube · date · current · game

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. object — to protest
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. tube — a container
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. game — wild animals
  10. object — an aim
  11. date — the fruit
  12. field — for sport
  13. game — a match
  14. fork — in a road
  15. object — a thing
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. field — a subject
  19. current — electric
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. field — farmland
  24. current — of water

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