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: court · bay · field · sharp · pitcher · arm · bass · track

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. court — of a king
  4. field — for sport
  5. sharp — clever
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. field — a subject
  9. court — for sport
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. court — of law
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bass — low music
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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