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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. hand — in cards
  4. swing — music
  5. drill — army training
  6. swing — to play on
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. field — a subject
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pound — a weight
  12. swing — in golf
  13. field — for sport
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. drill — the tool
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. field — farmland
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. drill — a practice
  24. hand — help

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