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

Word bank: hand · field · rash · bulb · chair · dip · clip · coach

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. dip — to sink
  10. rash — a series
  11. field — a subject
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. hand — in cards
  14. field — for sport
  15. rash — hasty
  16. clip — a video
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. field — farmland
  23. clip — to cut
  24. hand — help

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