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: lie · rock · field · content · foot · degree · plane · clip

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. content — the amount
  3. field — a subject
  4. clip — to cut
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. lie — to recline
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. degree — temperature
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. degree — an amount
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. content — happy
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. field — for sport
  20. clip — for paper
  21. degree — from a university
  22. foot — a measure
  23. clip — a video
  24. plane — a tool

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