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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cap — of ice
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. drill — the tool
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cap — a hat
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. sharp — clever
  12. march — music
  13. field — farmland
  14. march — the month
  15. drill — army training
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. field — for sport
  19. drill — a practice
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. cap — a lid
  24. march — the month

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