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 · fall · hide · cell · scale · field · bass · court

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  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. field — for sport
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. fall — the season
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — a subject
  6. court — for sport
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bass — low music
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. court — of law
  14. scale — in music
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. pitch — completely
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — a phone
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bass — the fish
  22. fall — to drop
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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