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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. charge — in control
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. row — to paddle
  7. roll — a cake
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. stem — to come from
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. roll — a list
  20. row — a line
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — electricity

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