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 116 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. squash — the sport
  3. prune — to trim
  4. chip — for betting
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. squash — to crush
  8. field — for sport
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chair — a leader
  12. field — farmland
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. chip — to eat
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. field — a subject
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. chip — in a computer

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