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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. row — a line
  3. cap — a hat
  4. roll — a cake
  5. cap — a lid
  6. net — after costs
  7. cap — of ice
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. net — for catching
  13. deal — to handle
  14. kid — to tease
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. kid — child
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. net — in sport
  21. row — to paddle
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. roll — a list

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