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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. chair — a leader
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rash — a series
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. season — of the year
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fine — all right
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — to shout
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. fine — high quality
  15. field — for sport
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. field — farmland
  22. rash — hasty
  23. kid — child
  24. field — a subject

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