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: bat · squash · current · racket · wave · court · field · chair

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. chair — a leader
  3. court — of a king
  4. current — of water
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. field — farmland
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — the animal
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. current — happening now
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. current — electric
  19. field — a subject
  20. court — for sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. court — of law

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