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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. wound — an injury
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. fine — all right
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. staff — employees
  9. field — farmland
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. game — wild animals
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. row — a line
  15. game — a match
  16. field — a subject
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. field — for sport
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. fine — high quality
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bowl — a dish

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