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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. file — a document
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. file — a line of people
  7. chest — of your body
  8. shower — rain
  9. prune — to trim
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. press — a publisher
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. chest — a box
  17. bark — to shout
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. tube — a container
  21. press — newspapers
  22. chest — of your body
  23. file — a tool
  24. shower — to wash

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