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: dip · court · trunk · field · lash · net · chair · land

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. dip — to sink
  3. land — ground
  4. net — for catching
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. net — in sport
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. court — of a king
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. field — farmland
  12. net — after costs
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. field — a subject
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. land — to come down
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. land — a country
  21. court — for sport
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. chair — a leader
  24. field — for sport

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