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: field · straw · clip · fan · season · content · squash · bowl

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. clip — to cut
  3. content — the amount
  4. squash — the sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. clip — for paper
  7. field — for sport
  8. season — in sport
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. squash — to crush
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. clip — a video
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. field — farmland
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. fan — a supporter

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