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 took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. field — farmland
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. hand — help
  7. drill — a practice
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. wax — to grow
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. field — for sport
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. drill — army training
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. field — a subject
  19. drill — the tool
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. vault — a safe
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. hand — in cards

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