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: sharp · pass · field · march · straw · root · stock · game

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. pass — to succeed
  2. root — of a word
  3. sharp — clever
  4. stock — shares
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. root — of a plant
  8. field — farmland
  9. stock — goods
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. march — the month
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. march — the month
  15. game — wild animals
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. root — the cause
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. march — music
  21. field — for sport
  22. game — a match
  23. straw — dry grass
  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