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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. cold — an illness
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spell — a short time
  9. snap — to click
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bore — to drill
  13. spell — letters
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. spell — magic
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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