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: field · season · hand · racket · mine · can · rash · bowl

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. field — farmland
  2. rash — hasty
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. rash — a series
  6. can — a tin
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. hand — in cards
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. field — for sport
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. hand — help
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. can — a tin
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mine — for digging
  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