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: board · bat · pop · field · scale · fall · file · cap

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. pop — to visit
  5. file — a line of people
  6. cap — a hat
  7. file — a tool
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. cap — a lid
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. field — a subject
  17. scale — in music
  18. file — a document
  19. cap — of ice
  20. pop — soda
  21. scale — size or range
  22. fall — the season
  23. pop — music
  24. bat — the animal

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