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: chip · nail · date · straw · field · lean · racket · bat

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bat — the animal
  5. chip — for betting
  6. field — farmland
  7. lean — to bend
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. field — a subject
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. lean — thin
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. chip — to eat
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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