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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. race — a contest
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. charge — a price
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. race — humankind
  11. mine — for digging
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. charge — electricity
  19. shower — rain
  20. race — the arms race
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. branch — a division
  23. charge — in control
  24. pitcher — a jug

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