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 120 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: leaves · sharp · field · degree · tear · scale · net · mine

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. net — in sport
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. field — a subject
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mine — for digging
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. degree — from a university
  13. tear — from crying
  14. scale — size or range
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. field — for sport
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — for catching
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. field — farmland

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