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

Word bank: game · field · mate · pitcher · mouse · swing

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mate — a friend
  6. field — for sport
  7. mate — to breed
  8. swing — in golf
  9. field — farmland
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. game — wild animals
  12. field — a subject
  13. swing — to play on
  14. game — a match
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer

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