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: vault · ball · field · pitch · chest · track · branch · row

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. ball — a great time
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. chest — a box
  8. branch — a division
  9. field — a subject
  10. row — a line
  11. chest — of your body
  12. vault — a safe
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. pitch — completely
  16. field — for sport
  17. track — to keep track
  18. chest — of your body
  19. field — farmland
  20. track — a path
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. track — a song
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. ball — a round shape

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