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: pitch · arm · field · ground · plane · swing · season · land

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. ground — a position
  3. land — to come down
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. swing — music
  7. ground — crushed
  8. field — farmland
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. field — for sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. land — ground
  14. plane — a tool
  15. ground — the earth
  16. season — in sport
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. swing — to play on
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. field — a subject
  22. land — a country
  23. swing — in golf
  24. plane — in geometry

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