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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. ground — a position
  5. court — of law
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. field — a subject
  9. land — ground
  10. court — for sport
  11. field — for sport
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pass — a permit
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. ground — the earth
  16. court — of a king
  17. cell — a phone
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — a country
  20. cell — in biology
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. field — farmland
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bowl — a dish

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