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: net · game · fine · pop · straw · board · root · field

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  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. game — a match
  2. root — of a word
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. board — a committee
  5. root — the cause
  6. net — in sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. net — after costs
  9. board — to get on
  10. pop — music
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. pop — soda
  14. fine — high quality
  15. field — a subject
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. fine — all right
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. root — of a plant
  22. net — for catching
  23. pop — to visit
  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