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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. kid — child
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. field — farmland
  22. bass — low music
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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