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: content · bear · deal · march · branch · pitcher · field · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. content — happy
  3. march — music
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. march — the month
  7. field — for sport
  8. bear — the animal
  9. content — the amount
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. deal — to handle
  14. field — a subject
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. field — farmland
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bear — the animal
  21. march — the month
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. branch — a division
  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