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: court · field · plane · bass · drill · season · ball · pitch

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. field — farmland
  3. drill — a practice
  4. ball — a great time
  5. season — of the year
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. field — for sport
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bass — low music
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. drill — army training
  13. season — in sport
  14. ball — a dance
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. field — a subject
  19. bass — the fish
  20. plane — a tool
  21. court — of law
  22. drill — the tool
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pitch — completely

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