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: club · field · bound · ball · stem · land · file · board

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. field — farmland
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. land — ground
  5. bound — obliged
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. file — a line of people
  9. land — a country
  10. file — a document
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a committee
  13. stem — to come from
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. club — a group
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bound — tied together
  19. club — for golf
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. club — for dancing
  22. land — to come down
  23. bound — certain
  24. file — 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