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: row · field · temple · mark · band · swing · patient · content

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. band — a music group
  5. field — farmland
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. row — a line
  8. field — a subject
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. content — the amount
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. field — for sport
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mark — a grade
  16. swing — to play on
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — music
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. content — happy
  23. mark — a trace
  24. band — a ring

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