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: bat · season · saw · stock · tube · field · bank · firm

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — farmland
  3. saw — the tool
  4. firm — a company
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. field — for sport
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. bank — for money
  11. firm — steady
  12. season — in sport
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. firm — decided
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. stock — shares
  23. bat — the animal
  24. stock — goods

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