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: chest · field · calf · mark · net · saw · charge · cell

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. field — for sport
  5. charge — a price
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chest — a box
  10. cell — a phone
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. net — for catching
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mark — a trace
  15. net — in sport
  16. chest — of your body
  17. net — after costs
  18. chest — of your body
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — electricity
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. cell — in biology
  24. field — a subject

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