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: current · cell · last · branch · pitch · rule · field · net

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. field — farmland
  3. last — to go on
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. current — electric
  7. cell — a phone
  8. current — happening now
  9. last — finally
  10. net — in sport
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. last — final
  14. rule — a law
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. field — a subject
  18. net — for catching
  19. current — of water
  20. branch — a division
  21. rule — government
  22. net — after costs
  23. cell — in biology
  24. field — for sport

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