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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cell — a phone
  3. field — a subject
  4. court — for sport
  5. club — for golf
  6. object — a thing
  7. club — for dancing
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bass — low music
  13. field — for sport
  14. club — a group
  15. object — to protest
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. court — of a king
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. court — of law
  20. object — an aim
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. cell — in biology
  24. coach — a trainer

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