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: rush · jam · field · court · stand · file · land · bass

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. field — a subject
  5. stand — to bear
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. field — for sport
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. rush — hurry
  12. file — a tool
  13. bass — the fish
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — for sport
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. court — of law
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. file — a line of people
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. field — farmland
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. file — a document
  24. rush — to hurry

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