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 120 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: hand · staff · kid · field · squash · wave · charge · tear

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. hand — help
  3. tear — to rip
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. staff — employees
  6. charge — in control
  7. field — for sport
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. staff — employees
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. tear — from crying
  15. kid — to tease
  16. charge — electricity
  17. squash — to crush
  18. hand — in cards
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. tear — from crying
  21. charge — a price
  22. staff — a stick
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. squash — the sport

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