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 · degree · stand · bowl · row · content · pitch · fine

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  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. row — to paddle
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — happy
  4. field — farmland
  5. row — a line
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. pitch — completely
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. fine — all right
  13. stand — to bear
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. content — the amount
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. degree — from a university
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. stand — for spectators
  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