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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — farmland
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. court — of a king
  6. field — for sport
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. stock — goods
  19. court — of law
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. court — 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