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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. field — for sport
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. hand — help
  7. club — for golf
  8. object — to protest
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. club — a group
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. object — an aim
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. club — for dancing
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. hand — in cards
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. object — a thing

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