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: bowl · hand · mug · field · court · lash · wax · march

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. field — a subject
  3. march — the month
  4. mug — a face
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. march — music
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. march — the month
  10. field — farmland
  11. court — of a king
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. court — for sport
  15. mug — a cup
  16. hand — help
  17. mug — to rob
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. court — of law
  23. field — for sport
  24. hand — in cards

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