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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · field · calf · snap · racket · fan

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. field — a subject
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. field — for sport
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. field — farmland
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to click
  17. hand — help
  18. fan — a supporter

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