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: game · current · ruler · field · spring · firm · pitcher · lash

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. field — for sport
  3. current — of water
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. game — a match
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. spring — of water
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. current — happening now
  11. spring — a coil
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. field — farmland
  14. spring — the season
  15. current — electric
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. firm — a company
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. field — a subject
  23. game — wild animals
  24. firm — decided

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