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 120 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: shower · pitch · field · wake · coach · vault · face · ball

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. shower — rain
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. face — part of the head
  6. ball — a dance
  7. face — to point toward
  8. ball — a great time
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. field — farmland
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. field — a subject
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. field — for sport
  18. pitch — completely
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. wake — a trail
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. face — to confront

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