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: content · field · bat · stand · kick · game · calf · mug

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. mug — to rob
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. mug — a cup
  8. field — for sport
  9. kick — in football
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. content — the amount
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. content — happy
  14. stand — to bear
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. field — farmland
  19. bat — the animal
  20. mug — a face
  21. field — a subject
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bat — in an idiom

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