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: field · chair · degree · squash · mine · fork · object · pitcher

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. object — an aim
  4. degree — temperature
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. degree — an amount
  7. chair — a leader
  8. object — a thing
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. field — farmland
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. squash — the sport
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. field — for sport
  21. object — to protest
  22. field — a subject
  23. squash — to crush
  24. degree — from a university

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