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: fan · mate · racket · field · land · fine · stick · net

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mate — to breed
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. net — after costs
  5. mate — a partner
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. fine — all right
  8. net — in sport
  9. land — to come down
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. land — ground
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. field — farmland
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. field — for sport
  16. fine — high quality
  17. field — a subject
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. land — a country
  21. mate — a friend
  22. net — for catching
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. racket — for tennis

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