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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. field — farmland
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. field — for sport
  7. clip — for paper
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. field — a subject
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. clip — a video
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bass — the fish
  16. game — a match
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pit — in a race
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bass — low music
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pit — a hole

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