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: ball · wind · cell · deal · pit · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. ball — a dance
  4. pit — a hole
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. deal — to handle
  10. ball — a great time
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. field — a subject
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. field — farmland
  17. pit — in a race
  18. cell — a phone

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