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

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — an illness
  4. squash — to crush
  5. chair — a leader
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. snap — to click
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. snap — to snap out of it

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