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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. cap — a hat
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bound — certain
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. field — for sport
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. cap — of ice
  10. net — for catching
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. net — after costs
  13. field — a subject
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cap — a lid
  16. pit — in a race
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bound — tied together
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bound — obliged
  21. cell — a phone
  22. field — farmland
  23. net — in sport
  24. cell — in biology

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