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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. ball — a great time
  3. land — ground
  4. hand — in cards
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. land — to come down
  7. pop — soda
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. land — a country
  11. pop — to visit
  12. track — a song
  13. toast — bread
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. hand — help
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. pop — music
  20. ball — a dance
  21. track — a path
  22. track — to keep track
  23. kick — in football
  24. ball — a round shape

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