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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. can — a tin
  3. bass — the fish
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. can — to be able to
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. kid — to tease
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bass — low music
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. kid — child
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — crushed
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. can — a tin

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