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. The water is too ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bear — the animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. staff — employees
  13. bear — the animal
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. saw — the tool
  18. band — a ring
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cold — an illness
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. band — a music group

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