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: stem · bowl · march · field · kid · court · firm · fork

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. firm — decided
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. firm — a company
  8. march — the month
  9. firm — steady
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. court — for sport
  13. march — the month
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. march — music
  16. field — a subject
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. court — of a king
  20. field — farmland
  21. kid — to tease
  22. court — of law
  23. kid — child
  24. field — for sport

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