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: lash · land · rash · perch · field · nail · face · coach

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — a series
  3. land — ground
  4. face — to point toward
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — farmland
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. face — part of the head
  12. land — to come down
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. face — to confront
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. field — for sport
  23. perch — the fish
  24. land — a country

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