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: bat · deal · march · field · hide · spell · hand · coach

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. field — farmland
  3. hand — help
  4. spell — a short time
  5. march — music
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. field — for sport
  11. march — the month
  12. hand — in cards
  13. spell — letters
  14. march — the month
  15. deal — to handle
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bat — the animal
  18. spell — magic
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. field — a subject

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