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

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. kid — to tease
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. present — there
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. hand — in cards
  10. present — a gift
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wax — to grow
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. hand — help
  17. present — the time now
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. field — a subject
  20. kid — child
  21. rush — hurry
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. racket — for tennis

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