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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. cell — a phone
  3. scale — in music
  4. court — of law
  5. scale — size or range
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. court — of a king
  9. cell — in biology
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. field — farmland
  14. bulb — for light
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. court — for sport
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bulb — for light
  21. file — a tool
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bulb — of a plant

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