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: plane · stock · spell · court · field · mark · current · file

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. field — for sport
  3. current — happening now
  4. court — of a king
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. spell — magic
  7. plane — a tool
  8. stock — shares
  9. current — electric
  10. field — a subject
  11. court — for sport
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. file — a document
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. mark — a grade
  18. stock — goods
  19. field — farmland
  20. court — of law
  21. file — a tool
  22. current — of water
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. file — a line of people

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