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 116 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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. field — a subject
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. court — for sport
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pit — a hole
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. court — of a king
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. pit — in a race
  16. field — farmland
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. field — for sport
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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