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: fan · field · chip · suit · degree · cap · perch · season

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cap — of ice
  4. chip — to eat
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — clothes
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. field — farmland
  10. degree — an amount
  11. field — a subject
  12. chip — for betting
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. season — in sport
  16. cap — a lid
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. degree — temperature
  19. season — of the year
  20. perch — the fish
  21. cap — a hat
  22. field — for sport
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. degree — from a university

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