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 · field · bowl · cabinet · pitcher · arm · bulb · hand

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hand — in cards
  12. field — for sport
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bulb — for light
  18. hand — help
  19. field — a subject
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. field — farmland

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