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: field · cue · fan · object · coach · pitcher · degree · court

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cue — a signal
  4. court — for sport
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. object — an aim
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. field — farmland
  12. court — of law
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — to protest
  16. field — a subject
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. court — of a king
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. degree — an amount
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a hint
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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