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: drill · field · mine · racket · calf · chip · fall · rash

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. drill — army training
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mine — for digging
  9. field — a subject
  10. drill — a practice
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. fall — to drop
  13. drill — the tool
  14. fall — the season
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rash — a series
  17. chip — for betting
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. field — for sport
  20. chip — to eat
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. field — farmland
  24. rash — hasty

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