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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  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. club — for dancing
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. club — a group
  4. field — a subject
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. club — for golf
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. hand — in cards
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pound — a weight
  16. kick — in football
  17. field — farmland
  18. hand — help
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bat — 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