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 120 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: row · rush · fan · swing · clip · pitcher · bound · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bound — certain
  7. field — farmland
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — music
  12. bound — tied together
  13. swing — to play on
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. row — a line
  16. rush — hurry
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. clip — a video
  20. bound — obliged
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. field — for sport
  24. row — to paddle

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