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: band · pass · field · board · content · capital · mark · bulb

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. content — the amount
  3. board — to get on
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. board — a committee
  9. pass — a permit
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. field — for sport
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bulb — for light
  14. capital — a city
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. content — happy
  17. capital — money
  18. band — a ring
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. band — a music group
  21. field — farmland
  22. bulb — for light
  23. field — a subject
  24. pass — to spend time

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