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 · season · date · tube · stock · scale · cap · saw

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. scale — in music
  3. field — for sport
  4. cap — a lid
  5. date — the fruit
  6. cap — a hat
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. field — farmland
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. season — in sport
  14. tube — a container
  15. cap — of ice
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. tube — the underground
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. saw — the tool
  22. field — a subject
  23. scale — size or range
  24. season — to add flavour

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