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: lash · kick · mouse · race · hand · net · branch · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. field — farmland
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. net — after costs
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. race — the arms race
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. net — in sport
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. field — for sport
  15. hand — in cards
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. kick — in football
  18. race — humankind
  19. net — for catching
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. hand — help
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. race — a contest

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