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: toast · wax · board · bore · pitch · plane · field · degree

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. degree — an amount
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. field — a subject
  7. board — a committee
  8. wax — to grow
  9. board — to get on
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. plane — a tool
  12. field — farmland
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bore — to tire
  15. field — for sport
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. degree — from a university
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. toast — bread
  24. wax — in the ear

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