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 · bay · current · swing · cold · kick · tear · lash

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. cold — not warm
  4. kick — in football
  5. swing — in golf
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. field — for sport
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. field — a subject
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. field — farmland
  12. tear — to rip
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. current — happening now
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. current — of water
  20. cold — an illness
  21. current — electric
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. tear — from crying

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