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: fan · firm · bound · bat · land · stand · field · file

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. firm — steady
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. field — for sport
  5. bound — certain
  6. field — farmland
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. field — a subject
  11. bound — tied together
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bound — obliged
  14. land — to come down
  15. file — a line of people
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. file — a document
  19. firm — a company
  20. bat — the animal
  21. file — a tool
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. firm — decided
  24. land — a country

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