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

Word bank: pitch · bowl · drill · patient · field · band · bat · mark

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. field — farmland
  10. drill — the tool
  11. band — a music group
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a trace
  14. pitch — completely
  15. drill — a practice
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. drill — army training
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. field — for sport
  24. bat — in an idiom

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