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: scale · bowl · pop · cell · patient · land · root · field

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. land — a country
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pop — to visit
  7. root — of a plant
  8. scale — in music
  9. land — ground
  10. cell — in biology
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. pop — soda
  14. root — of a word
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. land — to come down
  18. field — a subject
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pop — music
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. patient — a sick person

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