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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. last — final
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. season — of the year
  5. file — a line of people
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. toast — bread
  8. season — in sport
  9. last — finally
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. swing — to play on
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. swing — in golf
  17. last — to go on
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. file — a tool
  20. bulb — for light
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bulb — for light
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. file — a document

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