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: jam · court · last · track · kick · ball · game · field

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. game — a match
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. track — a song
  6. last — to go on
  7. track — to keep track
  8. field — a subject
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — of law
  15. game — wild animals
  16. field — farmland
  17. last — finally
  18. last — final
  19. track — a path
  20. court — for sport
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. kick — in football
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. field — for sport

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