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: field · mouse · scale · fall · mate · hand · court · fan

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  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. mouse — for a computer
  2. field — farmland
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. fall — the season
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. fall — to drop
  8. hand — in cards
  9. field — a subject
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. court — of a king
  13. hand — help
  14. fall — to drop
  15. scale — size or range
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. scale — in music
  20. mate — a friend
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. mouse — the animal
  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