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: band · season · spell · dip · pitcher · field · saw · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — to rob
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. season — in sport
  5. mug — a cup
  6. field — farmland
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. field — for sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. season — of the year
  11. spell — letters
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spell — magic
  15. field — a subject
  16. spell — a short time
  17. band — a music group
  18. saw — the tool
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. band — a ring
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pitcher — a jug

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