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: field · chest · cabinet · march · fine · degree · spell · suit

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. march — the month
  3. fine — high quality
  4. chest — of your body
  5. suit — clothes
  6. chest — a box
  7. fine — all right
  8. degree — from a university
  9. march — the month
  10. suit — in cards
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — farmland
  13. march — music
  14. suit — to fit
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. spell — a short time
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. field — for sport
  22. spell — letters
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. chest — of your body

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