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: cell · craft · club · field · wave · charge · roll · kick

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. field — farmland
  3. charge — a price
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. roll — a list
  6. club — for dancing
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. charge — in control
  12. kick — in football
  13. roll — a cake
  14. craft — a skill
  15. field — for sport
  16. cell — in biology
  17. craft — boats
  18. club — for golf
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. field — a subject
  23. charge — electricity
  24. club — a group

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