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: racket · jam · leaves · chest · bass · field · cold · bowl

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. cold — an illness
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. field — for sport
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bass — the fish
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bass — low music
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. chest — a box
  15. field — a subject
  16. chest — of your body
  17. field — farmland
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. leaves — lets stay

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