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: racket · hand · arm · pop · hide · wind · foot · field

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. hand — help
  3. field — farmland
  4. pop — soda
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wind — moving air
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. foot — a measure
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pop — to visit
  19. hand — in cards
  20. field — a subject
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. field — for sport
  23. pop — music
  24. foot — part of the body

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