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: court · safe · swing · pitch · bass · fan · cell · net

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. swing — to play on
  6. net — in sport
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. court — of law
  9. cell — a phone
  10. net — for catching
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. net — after costs
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. cell — in biology
  18. swing — music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bass — low music
  22. swing — in golf
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. court — of a king

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