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: coach · field · stem · net · court · shower · fan · pitcher

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. court — for sport
  3. net — in sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. court — of law
  6. court — of a king
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. field — farmland
  9. shower — to wash
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. net — after costs
  12. shower — rain
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. field — for sport
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. net — for catching
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. fan — a supporter

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