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: pit · squash · club · face · game · jam · hand · field

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. hand — help
  3. face — to point toward
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. face — part of the head
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. pit — in a race
  8. field — for sport
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. squash — to crush
  14. field — a subject
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. field — farmland
  17. squash — the sport
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. club — a group
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. pit — a hole
  22. face — to confront
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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