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: cabinet · chest · drill · coach · racket · lash · kid · band

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. chest — of your body
  4. kid — child
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. drill — the tool
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. band — a ring
  12. chest — a box
  13. band — a music group
  14. kid — to tease
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. drill — a practice
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. drill — army training

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