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: key · board · ball · hand · march · field · lean · degree

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. key — the most important part
  4. lean — to bend
  5. field — farmland
  6. board — to get on
  7. degree — an amount
  8. march — music
  9. hand — in cards
  10. degree — from a university
  11. key — in music
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. key — for a lock
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a dance
  16. board — a committee
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — thin
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. degree — temperature

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