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: mine · bear · date · hand · field · coach · mark · jam

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mine — for digging
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mark — a trace
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bear — the animal
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mark — a grade
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. field — farmland
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. field — a subject

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