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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. court — of law
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. kid — to tease
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. court — of a king
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. kid — child
  14. court — for sport
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. calf — of the leg

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