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: hand · net · race · field · mate · temple · jam · pit

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. mate — to breed
  4. hand — in cards
  5. field — a subject
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. race — humankind
  8. net — after costs
  9. hand — help
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. field — farmland
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. pit — in a race
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. mate — a friend
  19. pit — a hole
  20. mate — a partner
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. field — for sport
  24. race — the arms race

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